Mending Hearts
by Meiko Atsushi
Summary: When 8 children from the future appear out of nowhere and are not able to return for a while, Giotto and his guardians take them in for a month. But the true identity of these children are heart aching, and it's all up to Giotto and his guardians to show what a real parent and family should be like. Parent!First Gen. Children!Tenth Gen. Family fluff.
1. Prologue

"_**I was abused by my foster parents, and then abused at the orphanage again."**_

"… _**My father threw me away. I live in the streets."**_

"_**My parents were murdered last year. Now I live in the orphanage with Tsuna."**_

"_**My sister died of an unknown disease a few years ago, and my family started falling apart, rotting away as whole. I don't know who to rely on anymore."**_

"_**I was bought from the slave trading center by a bunch of scientists from the mafia. They tested out tons of chemicals on me. I hate the mafia."**_

"_**I don't know who my parents are. When I woke up, I was laying in the middle of the road."**_

"_**My organs became unusable because I got into a car accident a few years ago. Now my parents don't know what to do, when the doctors say I don't have much to live."**_

"_**My parents sold me to a drunk man who needed a boy to 'play' with."**_

**Giotto and his guardians have no idea what to do when suddenly 8 kids from the future appear in their mansion, each from a different place, from a different family, and with different situations. When they're not able to return, Giotto and his guardians decide to take them into the family… but what exactly is children's story?**

**A similar story to my previous one, "Let Me Heal You", but with a kind of different plot line. Updated every two weeks.**

"**Mending Hearts", starting from December, next Saturday.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey guys. New story. Firstly, thanks for all your support in the prologue. Reply to a few of you guy's reviews – um, yeah, in this story, I wouldn't be using any OCs except maybe for the villains. I really have no choice for them. And yeah.**

**These are the overall ages:**

**Tsuna – 8 Giotto – 22**

**Gokudera – 10 G – 22**

**Yamamoto – 10 Asari – 22**

**Ryohei – 12 Knuckle – 24**

**Kyoya – 12 Alaude – 25**

**Mukuro – 12 Daemon – 25**

**Chrome – 11 Lampo – 20**

**Lambo – 7**

**I decided to make Lambo a little more mature and older, as that is far more easier to manage. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 1**

"The skies are the color of a clear blue abyss that shows no end, the birds fly around chirping freely, as if to sing about their journeys from here to the seas and sandy shores, the wet green grass dances in the wind, and I-"

"Shut up and do your _work._"

The smile that was once plastered all over the gravity-defying blonde's face diminished, leaving a sad, depressing pout as he held his pen up again and swiftly signed his signature on each paper as he flipped the smooth white pages one at a time, throwing the completed sheets tiredly to another side, stacking them on another separate pile.

"G, how long do I need to do this again?" The blonde groaned, as his red (or as some people might say, magenta or dark _**pink**_) haired friend (in which, it quite did look like an octopus like his other friends would say) glanced up at him, and then gathered his attention back to the Sunday paper he was reading. When the blonde – now namely, Giotto Ieyasu Sawada, but the shortened version being just plain Giotto – gave him a pleading look, G, the red head, let out a heavy sigh as he put his papers back down.

"Just 2 more hours Giotto. How hard was two more hours again?" G asked rhetorically, as Giotto whined something about how he had a bunch of useless friends who never – well, not really – got paperwork whether they messed up the kitchen or broke through the bathroom. It was always Giotto who had to endure with the pain – and to be honest, none of his friends actually cared. Yeah, "friends".

"Seriously, if Alaude and Daemon just never fought for one whole week, then I might really allow them to not go on a mission or anything related to work for one whole month. Like, half of the paperwork over here," Giotto pointed at his three and a half stacks of papers, "Are all because of what they destroyed during their missions, or even while they were at the mansion."

"Nothing's new about that, is it? You should be thankful that the rest of us usually just sit around and do nothing. We do argue time to time, but at least ours is done verbally and concluded verbally. Theirs is just… they do everything… _physically._" G nodded in agreement, as Giotto let out a loud groan of frustration, is pen missing G's head by a centimeter as it flew in mid air. Some stacks of papers fell and made a pile of mess beneath his desk at the impact, as G crinkled his nose and moved his feet away to keep a distance with the pile.

"WHY DO I NEED TO-"

"Giotto." The door slid open, revealing another blonde haired man – just that this time it was platinum blonde, not the golden shade of blonde that Giotto possessed. The man threw another stack of papers tied together with string **(I don't think there were any staplers there…) **and Giotto just stared at the stack with a crestfallen expression, wondering if it was another pile of papers he needed to sign. The platinum blonde, seeing Giotto's expression, frowned.

"It's the information reports you told me to gather on the _Corvino_* Famiglia." Alaude – the platinum blonde – said in his usual stiff voice, his eyes cold as if it contained of no sort of emotions. Giotto blinked, trying to remember what he told Alaude to do. Finally, he flipped through the papers, reminding himself that he actually did other jobs than just signing sheets all day.

"Good job Alaude. Thank you for your neatly done work – as usual." Giotto nodded, putting the stack on a separate section of his desk. Alaude just turned away and exited the room, getting ready to go back to his office – which was of course, his CEDEF quarters. Giotto sighed lightly, as G stared at the leftover pile on the left.

"When are you going to finish those?"

Giotto glanced at the pile, and soon averted his eyes from the papers, as he didn't even want to see anything white with black ink anymore. "Some time around today evening or tomorrow morning. It needs to handed in by… Tuesday, right? Then I don't need to worry about it just yet." Giotto stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles a bit as he leaned back down on his wooden armchair.

"By the way, when is Daemon coming back from his mission? Unlike Alaude, Daemon has a tendency of being way too overconfident in completing his missions." Giotto sighed, massaging his temples, as G flipped through his leather-cover notebook, scanning each page.

"He should be coming back in about 3 days. He's far off in Rome right now, so…" G trailed off, as Giotto frowned.

"Rome? I gave him the permission to go to _Rome? _At a time like this… Oh god. I just hope he doesn't create trouble with any of the soldiers or civilians there in the area." Giotto murmured and, G shrugged.

"You just sent him to Rome for some kind of research and gathering information on a new enemy Famiglia. I'm sure he wouldn't create trouble."

"That's right… I'm sure the melon isn't that stupid…" A lazy voice said as he entered the office. G crinkled his nose at the appearance of the unwelcomed new comer, and Giotto smiled.

"Welcome back, Lampo. How was your mission?"

"Horrible. It was successful, of course, because ore-sama was the one who was doing it, but why am I always the one that gets the missions with all the aggressive and battle-essential material? I lost track how many times I needed to use my shield for body and food protection." Lampo grumbled, as Giotto nodded.

"You do know that I would love to give those types of missions to Daemon and Alaude, as they are the bloodthirsty ones, but they are _too_ bloodthirsty. They obviously overdo it, damaging town property and being a hindrance in the villagers' daily routine. All I can do for now is let them gather information. I know that you are the expert at this Lampo, but they aren't too bad themselves. And besides, you can fight well, so what is the problem?" Giotto tilted his head to the side, as Lampo just grunted, not saying any more.

"Giotto, it's raining outside." G pointed at the window, and Giotto frowned.

"The sky was clear just a few minutes ago."

"Well, apparently it's now-"

_**POOF!**_

Lampo coughed as pink, fluffy smoke filled the room. Giotto scowled as he waved the smoke out of the way. G shouted a curse, saying something about why the smoke needed to be pink out of all colors it could be. Asari came up to the office, wondering what was happening, only to be overwhelmed by a puff of pink smoke in his face.

"Just what in the world is-" G stopped, as he saw a figure sitting down on the ground, as the pink smoke started to fade. "Who are you." He demanded, pointing his gun at the shadowy outline of the person in front of them. As the smoke cleared, Giotto and his guardians were confused, as they stared at the unknown intruder.

"It's… a kid." Asari stated, as G slowly dropped his gun. The right hand man glanced at Giotto, not knowing what to say. "I wonder how he got here."

The said kid had slightly curly black hair, his eyes bright green and his skin slightly tanned at smudged with dirt. He was wearing a plain white shirt that seemed a little too big for him, and red pants that was now slightly faded, making it look like it was pink. He was barefooted, and his body was covered in cuts, dust, while his hands were half spotted with blisters.

"He… looks like someone I know." Asari commented, and Giotto nodded. Then he glanced at Lampo, and the glanced back at the kid. "Like Lampo."

"That kid doesn't look like ore-sama-"

"Who are you people?" the boy glared up at them. "You people aren't from my area. I never seen people like you in Shitamachi… **(According to my research, now one out of six people in Japan are suffering from poverty, and those people all live in different places in Japan. One place was the deserted alleys in Shitamachi, or in someplace similar – not comfortable places. Shitamachi is near the northern region of Tokyo, near Chiba.) **No… where… where am I? Furthermore, why am I in a house? I am pretty sure I was outside just a few seconds ago…" the boy grumbled.

_He's Japanese… but what is he talking about? Outside? _Giotto frowned. The boy then glared at them again.

"What did you people do to me?" he demanded, as a animated vein popped up on G's forehead.

"What makes you think we did something you, huh? What kind of Japanese are speaking in the first place? It's so different of that flute freak's – and why in the fucking world are you so dirty?! Do you bathe, lad?" the male bombarded the boy with numerous questions, as Lambo backed away a little in suspicion and fear.

"I am speaking normal Japanese, you idiot, and I do bathe – just not often. Now, answer _my _question. Who are you people? What's with those clothes, and why is this place's interior so… ancient? Who's house is still made out of this kind of wood nowadays? And you don't- fucking Lord, don't you have lamps or electricity here? No air conditioner?" the boy cussed, and Giotto frowned at the language. He wondered if the boy was using those words with knowing the meaning. And what in the world were lamps, electricity, and air conditioning? And of course all houses were made out of wood – and a little bit of cement – what could it be made out of?

"We have no idea what you're talking about, but to answer one of your questions, my name is Giotto, the man over there is G, and the person that looks kind of like you is Lampo, and finally that Japanese man is Asari. What's your name?"

The boy looked hesitant, but hunched his shoulders up and looked down, as he mumbled something under his breath. "Lambo."

"Just that?" G scowled. "And why does your name need to be so similar to our bratty lightning guardian over here?" Lambo looked up at him, and shrugged.

"Just that. And besides, it was the name that Hayato-nii gave to me, because originally I was just nameless. I don't need a last name or anything." Lambo replied, as Giotto, G, Asari, and Lampo glanced at eachother, all of them confused in their very own ways.

"Well, who's this Hayato, then?" Giotto questioned, and Lambo, once again looked hesitant to say anything more. He seemed to debating with himself for a while, his mind pondering from one end to another, wondering whether he was really supposed to trust the unknown adults. Lambo was never good with adults. He hated them. They were so irresponsible, so ignorant, and so manipulative…

"He's… he's my brother of sorts. We're not related through blood though. He was the one who picked me up on the streets. He taught me how to read, write, talk… and fight. And do a lot of other stuff that's useful for survival. Like…" Lambo went through his pockets, reaching for something that was a shape of an oval. "This."

"A… _grenade?_" G scowled, raising his left brow. Lambo nodded.

"If I throw it, then it explodes a little after. It's good to run right after you throw it." Lambo replied, putting it back into his pocket.

"Ok, how old is this Hayato again?" Asari questioned, his look getting a little more serious than before. The Japanese swordsman didn't really approve of kids holding such dangerous materials in such a age – even if it was for sakes of protection.

Lambo held out both of his hands, and seemed to be counting for a while. Then finally when he got the answer, he put out both his hands spread out in front of him. "Hayato-nii is ten. He's turning eleven in… in… I think about 4 months." Lambo said, and G slapped his forehead.

"10. A 10 year old holding around grenades or whatever in that range… something is fucking wrong there. And he told you how to _cuss_? I am really starting to wonder what this Hayato kid looks like." G grunted, and Lambo stared at him for a while.

"Hayato-nii looks like you. Just that he has silver hair and his eyes are green. A little darker than mine though. And Hayato-nii puts on the same expression as you do, too." Lambo said, and Lampo, Asari, and Giotto all instantly imagined a 10 year old G, without the tattoo, with silver hair, green eyes, and the same expression. A chill ran down their spine. Another cussing G, mini-version, would probably be horrible. A cussing nightmare.

"But Lambo-" before Giotto could ask another question, someone knocked on the door. Giotto glanced at it and frowned. "Come in."

Soon, the door creaked open, revealing a certain boxing priest with a stack of papers as well. "I came back Giotto. Nice to see you guys all in here – because I couldn't see Alaude or any of you anywhere. And Daemon didn't come back from his mission, so that's that. But… who's that kid? Looks like… Lampo." Knuckle, the priest, paused. "Is that your son Lambo? Please don't say you got a woman pregnant and then had this child out of wedlock-"

"Knuckle, ore-sama wouldn't so casually fuck a girl when I am like 12. I am 19 this year. Obviously that boy is about 7 or younger. It doesn't make sense." Lampo grunted, and Knuckle blinked, then nodded.

"Well, if so, then that is good to hear. If he really were your son, then it would be the same thing as not committing something for God's glory. Rather, it would be performing an action of huge sin." Knuckle paused. "As Romans verse-"

"Ok, ok, got it, no bible references please." Lampo groaned, covering his ears.

"But anyways, Lambo, what-"

_**POOF!**_

"I think one pink explosion in one day is more than enough." G grumbled, and Giotto gagged as he breathed in the sweet scented smoke. "Why does it smell like some woman's perfume anyways? And it tastes bitter."

"So, is this like a new way we are going to use our dying will flames or something?" Knuckle asked, clueless about what was going on – or about what was going to happen.

Another shadowy figure stood in the middle of the room. Lambo stared at it, and then took a few steps back, recognizing that it wasn't someone he knew of. The smoke cleared, revealing another boy – this one taller than Lambo. He had indigo-colored hair, one of his eyes red and the latter blue. His skin was pale, and he was wearing a navy green army jacket, which not to mention, was tattered with blood – and wearing a white jacket and the same navy green army pants, which was torn a little here and there. He had bruises on his hands and parts of his face, and his lips were red and slightly ripped at the edges.

"Now that I notice… where are these kids getting all these wounds?" G whispered to Giotto, who shrugged. Knuckle wondered if he was supposed to help the kids, who now that he noticed had severe wounds all over their bodies. He tried to approach Lambo first, but Lambo just slapped the hand away.

"Kufufu… I wonder if this is the part of the new experiment they're trying out on me…" the boy said in a bitter tone, and Giotto raised his eyebrows as he heard the boy's words. "But based on the overall interior of this mansion…" He glanced around the old-fashioned room. "It seems quite ancient." He concluded, and Giotto and G glanced at eachother. It was similar to what Lambo said earlier – that the mansion was made in a way that nobody did anymore.

"Um, mind us asking… who the fuck are you?" G questioned, and Mukuro frowned. He wasn't so fond of the usage of language the older male was using, but Mukuro decided that it would be better if… well, if he could trade some information. It didn't look anywhere near the laboratory he was just staying in, after all.

"Not to mention, he looks like Daemon. First Lampo, and now Daemon?" Asari whispered, as Giotto nodded. He knew it was rather personal and offensive, but he really didn't like the fact that there was a kid who looked just like Daemon, minus the fruit shaped hairstyle that somewhat differed from Daemon's. _So there are various versions of fruit shaped hairstyles… very interesting. _

"Rokudo Mukuro. And you are?" Mukuro chuckled – even the chuckle was so similar as Daemon's that it was seriously starting to creep Giotto and his guardians out. "And it would be helpful if you tell me, which part in Japan am I in? Or which province, maybe?"

Giotto, G, Asari, Lampo, and Knuckle all glanced at eachother, exchanging confused looks. "This isn't Japan." Lampo finally said after a while. "It's Sicily. You know, Italy? You're in Italy."

Mukuro's eyes widened an inch, as if he was trying to process the information he had just received from a bunch of strangers. _Italy… the mafia… the… Estraneo… but why… _then Mukuro paused, as he glanced at Lambo, who was just sitting down in the corner now. _His clothes… he's from my time. But their clothes… _Mukuro glanced at G, Giotto, Asari, Knuckle, and Lampo. Though G and Lampo's clothing were quite similar to the one's they wore nowadays (as the said guardians only wore a white button down shirt and black or navy blue pants), Giotto, Asari, and Knuckle's clothing were rather… well, unusual. (Even though Knuckle was wearing a robe of a priest, it was still a little old-fashioned.) _Wait, don't say…_ Mukuro turned towards the windows that were half-covered by the silk curtains. He ran towards them and pushed the curtains to the side and stared at the street that was in front of the mansion, where people were milling around, caring about their own business. Mukuro clutched the wooden frames, gritting his teeth. He finally turned back, where Lambo, and all the other adults were staring right back at him with confused expressions. Mukuro regained his cool composure and opened his mouth.

"Mind me asking," Mukuro started, his tone obscure but hopeful. "What's the date today? Including the year?" He asked, and Giotto and his guardians exchanged suspicious glances at one another. Lambo frowned up at Mukuro, as if he was stupid. But Mukuro needed to know the answer.

"May 9th." Knuckle replied. "16XX." Now Lambo whipped his head back at Knuckle, his eyes disbelieving and looking terribly confused. The boy stared back up at Mukuro, who stared back at him. Mukuro, this time, asked Lambo.

"What's the date today?" Lambo didn't reply for a while, but then opened his mouth again.

"May 9th. 20XX." **(I do know that in the anime, the time period is like 19XX, but hey – it's 2014. It's just easier to put it like that.) **This time it was the adults' turn to stare at Lambo and Mukuro with startled expressions. Mukuro looked up and stared back at them.

"If I saw the calendar today properly," Mukuro started, "then today _is _supposed to be May 9th, 20XX." Then he paused. "But now you people are saying that it's 16XX. Which only means-"

"Wait, wait, _wait._ Stop the fuck right there. Now are you trying to say boy, that you're from the future of 400 years? That you did some kind of impossible time traveling magic trick? And are we supposed to believe that?" G growled fiercely, but Mukuro didn't even blink.

"Then what other theory do you have?"

"That you two are both talking nonsense. Like, when I mean nonsense, I mean nonsense." G responded, sounding slightly annoyed. Mukuro sighed heavily. He really wished he had some other physical evidence or proof that he- no that they, were from the future, other than just words.

"Then let me ask, since most of you guys seem to know Japanese here, though well… it's supposed to be Italy. Do you know where Tokyo is?" the indigo haired boy asked, and Asari tilted his head to the side. As far as he knew, there was no city, province, or area that he knew of named Tokyo in his home country.

"Of course you wouldn't – since Japan's capital wasn't established yet in this time as Tokyo. If I remember… then Japan in the 1600s are in their Edo period – also known as the Tokugawa period, because it was ruled by the Tokugawa family line, and unified by Tokugawa Ieyasu, after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600." **(It's the power of Google search. And I don't really have a good explanation for Mukuro being able to know so much of Japanese history… oh well, let's just say he's a genius.) **

"Ok, I seriously have no idea what he's talking about." G grumbled, and Mukuro ignored him.

Lambo, who was just listening to this, finally decided to join in. "Do you know what this is?" He took out a small flashlight that still had some batteries running inside. Mukuro glanced at it, then finally mentally let out a sigh of relief, glad that there actually was a sort of evidence. Giotto and his guardians stared at the material, having no idea what it could be.

"It doesn't look delicious." Lampo grumbled, and G just punched him on the head.

"It's called a flashlight." Mukuro said. "If you turn on the switch that is attached to the side of it," Mukuro continued, as Lambo pulled the switch upward. The light flashed into their eyes, and Giotto frowned, amazed but also confused at the same time. Asari blinked at it, wondering how such a small material was giving out so much light. Knuckle stared at it for a while, then thought that it was truly a work of art, mainly because there was no need to waste candles if you use that. G just glanced at it then turned away.

"As you can see, it flashes a beam of light. Though there is a limited amount time you can use it, because the batteries inside it wouldn't last for very long." Mukuro said. Giotto decided that the so-called batteries must be some kind of supporting source of material of the flashlight.

"… I still can't believe that you're from the future of 400 years, though." G raised his eyebrow, and Mukuro rolled his eyes.

"Do you think I can believe that I am in 400 years of the _past_? You need to be in my position, and you'll understand how frustrating it is to convince people." Mukuro said, as Lambo just sat down near his legs – mainly because it seemed like the only person who looked normal to him was Mukuro.

"Putting that matter aside," Knuckle fake coughed, "What's with those wounds, both of you?" Mukuro scowled, glancing down at his body. Lambo stared down at his own and then just hugged his legs, now knowing what to say in response.

"I am not going to give you an explanation about mine. And I don't know what happened to him – I never even met him until today." Mukuro said, and Lambo averted his gaze from all the others.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, as an old man – the family butler, Giordano entered the room. The older male frowned a little as he saw the kids, but didn't say anything. Instead, he handed Giotto a letter. "It's from _Signore** _Daemon, Primo." Giotto nodded and thanked the butler, as the old man went away. He opened, the letter, and his face paled as he scanned the words dotted on the piece of paper.

_**Primo, it's me. I was supposed to go back to the mansion in 3 days because I thought that gathering the information would be rather difficult, but instead I just decided to destroy the enemy Famiglia itself. The new enemy Famiglia is very weak in power and intelligence, Primo – their boss and strategist are both very naïve in terms of dealing with actual Famiglias. I do know that you are probably frustrated that I didn't complete the mission as you wanted to, but I didn't see the harm of just crushing them, as they're going to be nuisance to deal with in the future anyways. If this makes you happy, then I didn't damage any town or city property in the area – only their main base. I killed a few of their members, but oh well. When you received this letter, I would probably be in the carriage, not so faraway from Sicily. Have a good day, Primo. **_

_**-D. Spade.**_

"I don't see what's wrong. What he's saying here actually true for once." G grunted, and Giotto sighed, as he crumpled the letter up and threw it in the corner of the room, assuming that probably a maid or someone would put it away elsewhere later.

"Back to the topic." Asari coughed, "Let me ask again. Are you two really from the future of 400 years?" Now Mukuro looked like he was about to explode in frustration.

"I said-"

_**POOF!**_

Now, who's next?

**End of Chapter.**

**Hello guys, Rica again. So firstly, I am back with a story with a very similar plot as my previous discontinued story, 'Let Me Heal You'. Personally, I hated that story… so yeah. I will have to agree with every one of you, when you said I had too many OCs to keep in control, so the story went out of hand. Truth spoken.**

**This story is similar, with all the pasts, but I think I will make the kids connected in a different way. Like in my previous story, it was kind of focused on Kyoya (now that I notice, as it was his father that killed all of their parents…) so this time I decided I would have to try to make it equal as I can. But I can't really help it, as my favorite character in this anime is Hibari… and Mukuro. GAH WHATEVER!**

**Corvino* - Literal meaning in Italian; 'Raven'.**

**Signore** - 'Sir' in Italian.**

**The next chapter would include the appearance of different characters. You may have noticed that Lambo has a different character here, which some of you might think is terribly OOC… well, this will be explained later on as the story goes, how Lambo's personality became a stubborn and incredibly identical one to Hayato's. And besides, I hate when all stories start with characters like Tsuna, Hayato, and Takeshi first, so I just decided to make Mukuro and Lambo to appear in the first chapter.**

**Apart from that, thank you for your support, guys.**

**~Rica~**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**POOF!**_

"Again?"

"Why am I not even surprised?"

"This is dangerous… I am getting too used to this…"

"And Daemon is coming in like one freaking hour? My life must really suck."

The smoke cleared up, showing a rather short raven-haired boy. He looked a little pissed off in way, his eyebrows were narrowed, and his storm gray eyes were staring right into G's. He stared at his arm for a while, and then stood up. He was wearing a simple long sleeved black shirt and gray pants.

Then he looked at Mukuro.

"Why… are you here."

Mukuro spat. "How am I supposed to know?"

"You should be in the Lab right now."

"And you should be in the torture chambers. How did you break free from the restraints and protection walls? They used some kind of electric-making machine thing and connected it to metal bars right?"

"I am not a herbivore."

"Sure. Then lets wonder why you were there in the first place."

"Rokudo Mukuro, if you go any further, I will bite you to death." The new boy glared viciously, as Mukuro smirked. He summoned a trident from thin air – in which Giotto and his guardians were more than just shocked, because it was wrapped in a bundle of mist flames. They were faint – but it was definitely mist flames.

"Go ahead. Do you want to know who's the better trash?"

"You're a mere specimen for an experiment." Hibari narrowed his eyes, as Mukuro bit his bottom lip, loosing his temper as he swung his trident in the air – but before he could do so, G pointed the barrel of his gun and placed it near Hibari's head. The older male had confidence that even though Hibari didn't look like an average kid, he could still win. Firstly, there was something called a difference in battle experience, and secondly, Hibari was still a kid. His stamina couldn't last that much.

Hibari glared at G, though he didn't attempt to raise his tonfa against the man. Giotto thought about stopping his right hand man, but chose not to. They were still unsure about Hibari's identity after all – and furthermore, he seemed to be from the same time period as Mukuro and Lambo. Not to mention that he seemed to know Mukuro a lot.

Though, not in a good way.

"Lad, once you're in our mansion, you do need to act like a civilized human being, whether that kid over there annoys you or not. Like what the fuck; Daemon and Alaude's clones hating eachother? This must be something, but…" G trailed off for a while, and then cleared his throat, lowering his gun. "But anyways, you would need to tell us who you are… or we will have to call Alaude to take you to the interrogation room."

Suddenly, Mukuro snorted from the corner. "This is the skylark we are talking about. Taking him to the interrogation will show a negative effect instead." The boy said, as G frowned at him. Lampo glanced at Mukuro – it kind of crept the lightning guardian out, how… well, how _alike_ Daemon and Mukuro were. _But this isn't it… if there are all of Daemon, Alaude, and my clones… then there is definitely Giotto, G, Asari, and Knuckle's clones too. Then why do I feel so… _Lampo frowned, looked up at Mukuro again. _Or is it just me being a little to cautious of things today? It would be good if that were so, but… oh well. _

Hibari seemed to think about it for a while. He put his tonfas back into his shirt sleeves, and spoke, "Hibari. Hibari Kyoya." He glared at Mukuro again, pulling down the urge to beat the pineapple head down. G glanced at Giotto, and Giotto just nodded. G put his gun away, and left the others to question the rest.

"Seeing how you seem to know Mukuro-kun over here," Knuckle started, as Hibari remained silent. "I guess you're from the future of 400 years as well." Hibari turned to Knuckle, a frown spreading across his face. Mukuro grunted, as Lambo just sat quietly in the corner, not knowing what to do. He would've ran away if he could, but he figured that in this 'new' world, it was better to be more conscious of what kind of situation he was in.

"It seems like we were transported into the future of 400 years, skylark." Mukuro explained, as Hibari slowly scanned his surroundings. Indeed, everything looked quite ancient – not to mention that he couldn't see a hint of the use of electricity or modern technology.

"Is the Lab involved in this?" Hibari questioned, and Mukuro shrugged.

"The Lab we know… they aren't exactly people who would go through such a big amount of trouble just to see how much we can endure. They would've picked another option to do so, like they always do." Mukuro paused, glancing at Lambo who was hunched up in the corner. "And besides, it seems like we have someone from the same time period as us, but isn't from the Lab. You don't recognize him, do you? You should know better than me because you moved a few more sections than me. You moved about 7 times, didn't you?" Mukuro tilted his head to side, as Hibari stared at Lambo for a while, and then nodded. He definitely didn't recognize Lambo – and furthermore, the kid's clothing wasn't what the Lab provided to any section. The clothing the Lab gave out was more… more fit for their selfish purposes.

Giotto and the other adults frowned at the conversation the two boys were sharing – they didn't know what the Lab was, nor any of what the two were talking about – but they decided that it wasn't a topic that they were allowed to play with. At least, not yet.

"Already 3 kids until now… isn't this a little dangerous?" G asked, as Asari nodded.

"3 kids that look exactly like us… and not to mention, it's not that there are _already_ 3 kids – it's that there are _only_ 3 kids. Do you truly think this would be it?" Lampo folded his arms, and Giotto nodded.

"Lampo is right. If my Intuition is still usable… then there should be at least 4 more kids coming. Of course, that's the minimum. Just because there are 7 of us, that doesn't mean that there are only going to be 7 clones that look like us." Giotto thought for a while, resuming back into his calm self. "Talbot."

The guardians glanced at their boss. "Asari, can you take the children to another room? Knuckle, please go get Talbot from his office, and G, assemble all the Vongola guardians to the meeting room. We're having an emergency meeting." Giotto ordered, and G frowned.

"But Giotto, it's only a bunch of kids-"

"From the future." Giotto cut off, and G finally gave in. "Also, Lampo, can you stay here for a while until G calls you? I want to make sure that no more kids arrive for now – at least until the meeting is over. Thank you." Giotto walked away, before Lampo could even protest about his role.

G walked out of the mansion, running a little as he rushed to the CEDEF quarters. He was glad that the CEDEF department that Alaude worked in wasn't so far away.

"Who are you, and why are you-" before the guard could question further, G glared at the male.

"Alaude. Call your boss. Tell him that it's an emergency meeting called by Vongola Primo." G growled, as the guard jumped, then ran into the large building, yelling something. G sighed, as he leaned on the gates.

Suddenly, a carriage stopped right in front of him, as dusty fog crossed his face. G coughed, motioning the sand to go elsewhere. Inside the carriage was Daemon Spade, the mist guardian of the Vongola.

"I thought you were at the mansion, pinky." Daemon smirked, as G got ready to shout a curse back at the melon head – only to snap back to reality, and remember Giotto's orders. G calmed himself down – barely – regaining his composure.

"It's an emergency meeting called by Giotto, Daemon." He glanced at the CEDEF building again. "Wait for Alaude for a while. He should be coming out soon."

As soon as G finished talking, Alaude walked out of the building. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Daemon in the carriage, but sighed as he got on together with G. Silence hung in the air, as the 3 males awkwardly sat together in the small area.

"So, why a meeting out of sudden? Paperwork issues again?" Daemon opened his mouth, as G stared at both Alaude and Daemon for a while, and reminded himself of the similarities between the two adults in front of him, and the kids he had just met. It was quite creepy in a way.

"Well…" G started. "How should I put this…" the red head seemed to think about it for a while. "Would you two believe it, if someone says that they saw kids that looked exactly – and when I mean exactly, I mean fucking exactly – like you, acts like you, and even talks like you?" G questioned, his arms folded across his chest. Daemon and Alaude glanced at eachother.

"Why such a question at this moment?" Alaude frowned, as G sighed heavily.

"Well you see… like about an hour ago, a boy who looked about 7 or 8 years old appeared out of nowhere." G started, as Daemon tilted his head to side. Out of nowhere? Was it even possible for someone to appear out of nowhere? Well, it wasn't impossible if you possessed mist flames, but for normal human beings, it would be pretty hard to do.

"And?"

"He… he looked exactly like Lampo. It was just he difference of hair color – the other elements looked just like Lampo's facial features." G paused. "And their names are similar too. The boy's name just turned out to be Lambo." Daemon frowned, as Alaude listened attentively, not saying a single word.

"He said some weird stuff." G sighed. "He said he was from a place… a place called… Shitamachi, I think."

"Shitamachi?" Daemon narrowed his eyebrows. "Where is that place? It sounds Japanese, but… I don't really…" Daemon glanced side wards at Alaude. "Do you know where it is?" Alaude just silently shook his head, as G continued quietly.

"It turns out that… well, Shitamachi is now a place in Japan." G said, as Daemon just listened as well. "When we were talking about this, another kid appeared. His name was Rokudo Mukuro, and this one… looked just like you, Spade." G looked up to see Daemon's shocked face. The illusionist pointed at himself, his eyes disbelieving, as his index finger trembled in mid-air.

"Yes, you. Maybe if there is a difference, it would be that he is odd-eyed, and has a different fruit shaped hairstyle than you." G shrugged. Daemon frowned at the phrase, odd-eyed.

"Doesn't odd eyes only apply for cats?" Daemon questioned, and G shrugged.

"I don't know. But that Mukuro kid told us that they were from 400 years in the future. He held out something called a flashlight, which apparently is a kind of machine that gives out light for a limited amount of time, receiving its energy from a small device thing." G explained, as Alaude just stared at G for a while and turned away.

"Soon after that, a kid named Hibari Kyoya appeared. It turned out that he was in bad terms with Mukuro, but they did know eachother, through something that they seem to call the Lab. I was quite surprised, because he seemed to be pretty skilled and talented in battle."

"Let me guess. That child looked exactly like Alaude over here." Daemon pointed his thumb at the platinum blonde, and G nodded solemnly. "The description makes it rather too obvious in a way." This made Daemon earn a deadly glare from Alaude, but Daemon simply ignored it – as he was quite used to the whole situation.

The carriage stopped when G was about to continue the talk. They decided to go on with the conversation in the emergency meeting, when every one of them was actually present.

Giotto was sitting in the room, after G came back with Lampo. They all sat around the table, with Talbot just standing next to Giotto, waiting for all the guardians to arrive and be seated in their chairs.

"So, it seems like we are all here." Giotto nodded, and then glanced at Talbot, indicating to the man that they were all ready. Talbot started to speak.

"It's nothing but the pure truth that those kids are here, in this world – a world where those kids certainly do not belong. They walk a different path as us, and they, to be specific, shouldn't be here… but of course, that would be the case if they are normal kids." Talbot started.

"Are you saying that… they are special?"

"If you can say they are special, then yes, they are indeed very special. Nonetheless, they are your descendants after all."

Heavy silence sat around the room. Each of the adults tried their best to process the information they received to their fullest. Descendants. For Giotto and his guardians, descendants just seemed like something they would never have – they were still young after all.

"Our descendants, you say." Giotto cleared his throat. Talbot nodded.

"Vongola's last hope. And when I mean hope, I don't mean hope that is something that would help the Vongola to rise back to power – I mean the Vongola to gain another chance to become pure and clean again."

"Pure… and clean?"

"The future, Giotto, of your Famiglia isn't bright." Talbot said, as if he could see the future of this vigilante family. He sighed, and shook his head. "The kids were probably here to change the dark destiny and fate of this Famiglia. It's probably to start all over again – starting from creating a whole new successor that will take your place as Vongola Secondo, Giotto." Talbot said, as Giotto just frowned.

"Those kids suffered because of what was in their blood. Vongola's blood, I must say. They were probably transported here to be free from their fate. Not completely free, but at least so that they can start again." Talbot looked up at the first generation. "Those 3 kids were disposed. Disposed cruelly, by their own family."

"May I ask how you know all this?" G questioned as Talbot just smiled mysteriously.

"It's a matter of time, G." Talbot responded shortly, and then looked up at the ceiling for a while. "This isn't the end, as you all might've noticed. There are still 5 more precious kids to come. And they wouldn't be able to return."

"What do you mean? The kids that arrive…"

"They wouldn't be able to return to their own world." Talbot said, rubbing his chin with his right hand. "At least, for a while."

"Don't they have a family waiting for them?" Knuckle questioned, and Talbot stared at the sun guardian for a long time.

"I did say that those kids were disposed, didn't I? It wouldn't do them any good even though they go back to that world – the world they are originally from. I am not going to tell you any further details, but-"

"PRIMO!" A maid crashed into the meeting room, as all the attention focused on the panting female. "A-a kid- no, actually, 2 kids are-"

Giotto and his guardians immediately stood up without giving in a second thought. They pushed past the maid, and trudged down the long corridors, until they came back to Giotto's office. Inside, there was a little girl and a brown haired boy surrounded by a bunch of other kids. They were murmuring amongst eachother, Mukuro and Hibari looking panicked, and Lambo looking afraid. The brown haired boy seemed to be at the verge of crying, and the girl…

"She- she was coughing blood just now." Mukuro said, and Daemon was surprised at how much the boy did look like him. Giotto hurried Knuckle to go check up on the girl, and Knuckle did – his eyes widening as he saw how sunken Chrome's stomach was.

"She-she doesn't have any of her organs. Giotto, even this can't be healed with my power." Knuckle stuttered nervously, as he never faced such a situation before. Daemon took a closer look at the girl. She was breathing heavily, cold sweat all over her body and blood tainting her white dress. _She looks like me… so I have two?_

"Get out, I think I have an idea." Daemon said, pushing Knuckle out of the way. He summoned his scythe and concentrated his flames on the tip of his fingers, as he passed his strength into the girl's body, allowing him to create the illusions of her missing organs. At first she seemed to still be having a hard time, until her breathing slowly evened out nicely.

But now, the brown haired boy was being the problem? Why? He was crying. Why is this a problem? Because none of the tenth generation know how to deal with kids. Crying kids and girls to be specific.

"Daemon, do something! You're the one with a girlfriend!"

"Ha? Elena doesn't cry!"

"Please don't say none of us have dealt with crying kids before?" G grumbled, half-joking. Everyone went silent. "Oh god, heavenly god." The right hand man sulked in the corner, Giotto trying his best to comfort his friend.

"Uh… um, boy?" Asari smiled at the weeping brunette. The boy looked up, and Asari felt like he was struck by some kind of weird force when he saw the big doe eyes looking into his own.

_He looks too much like Giotto… what's with the same gravity defying hairstyle?_ The swordsman just stared at the boy for a while. "Uh… um, what's your name?" Asari asked as gently as he could, as the boy hiccupped and sniffed.

"Y-Yamamoto- Yamamoto nii-san…" The boy mumbled, and Asari frowned. That didn't seem to be the boy's name, but… Asari sighed, not knowing what to do. He was the kindest and most gentle man in the family, along with Knuckle who was a priest, but he never had dealt with kids before.

"I don't want to…" the kid went on. Mukuro and Hibari glanced at eachother, then glanced at the adults. "I don't want to have…" the brunette sniffed. That's when another explosion went off – three at once, actually.

"I really hope those three are the final." The brunette jumped at the sound and the pink smoke, as he coughed and waved the weird scented gas out of his face. Or at least, he tried to.

"WHAT THE FUCK? JUST WHAT THE HELL-"

"EXTREME!"

"Eh?"

Giotto and G flinched as they heard the voices. They could kind of tell who's clones these were going to be.

The smoke cleared up, showing a silver and white haired boy standing side by side, with another raven haired boy sitting in between them.

"Haya nii-chan!" Lambo smiled, running towards the boy. The other looked confused for a while, until a scowl spread upon his face.

"WHERE WERE YOU, LAMBO YOU IDIOTIC COW!" The boy looked quite mad, but his face softened as Lambo tugged on his shirt.

"Yamamoto!" the brunette cried, as the raven haired boy – seemingly named Yamamoto, blinked, and then grinned. "Tsuna! Where were you? I was worried because Izuki-sensei saying that she would scold you if you come one minute late and I-" Yamamoto stopped, as he saw the brunette sleeping, leaning down on his chest.

"He must've been tired. Should I take him to a separate room, Giotto?" Knuckle asked, and Giotto nodded quietly. Yamamoto frowned at Knuckle.

"Who are you? I can't give Tsuna to a stranger that I just met." Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, and Knuckle could see the protectiveness towards the brunette in Yamamoto's eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt him." Knuckle said, but Yamamoto just continued to frown at the older man.

"I don't believe in adults who say that anymore." Yamamoto averted his eyes while saying this. Knuckle just tilted his head to the side, wondering what those words could mean – but as a priest, he knew that it didn't mean something so delightful.

"That I would have to agree with." The silver haired boy – whom Lambo called Haya nii-chan, glared at all the adults surrounding them in the room. "Who are you people, and what did you do to Lambo?"

"They didn't do anything. As a matter a fact, I would say that they helped us." Mukuro shrugged, and Giotto was thankful that the boy wasn't as cautious as the other ones. "… Well, if they were going to do something to us, I wouldn't be surprised. Those are what humans are – what adults show to lost children. So selfish. So manipulative." Mukuro said scornfully, as Giotto now frowned, noticing that Mukuro wasn't being cautious – he was just…

"I seriously have no idea what you kids are all talking about, but can we please start with the introductions? It's quite uncomfortable for me to keep calling a kid boy or girl, or something like that…" Daemon ran his fingers through his long hair.

"And why should we tell you our names? They might've told you theirs, but we-"

"Now, now."

All the attention focused Talbot, who now entered the crowded room.

"Welcome to the past… kids of the fallen Vongola of the future." Talbot smiled, as Mukuro and Hibari glanced at one another. Gokudera also frowned at the mentioned name, and Ryohei pursed his lips together, as if the name was a threat itself. The others just blinked, having no idea what the old man was talking about.

"Vongola." Mukuro muttered. "So that's what you people are?" the boy questioned, and the paused. "Vongola of our world is a mafia Famiglia that kill innocent civilians with no legitimate reason. They commit wrong without batting an eye, and they do the most grotesque actions to kids. It wouldn't be a lie if half of the human trafficking that happens in our world is caused by the Vongola." Mukuro said bitterly, as Giotto's eyes widened in shock.

"No." Gokudera said, as Mukuro frowned at the silver haired boy.

"What do you mean no? It seems like you also possess some knowledge about the Vongola – then you should know better than anyone else – that the Vongola of our world is-"

"Of our world, yes, they are corrupted. They are disgusting. But…" Gokudera glanced around his surroundings. "Past, you said?" Gokudera stared at Talbot, as the man nodded. "There was a time where the Vongola was… was a vigilante Famiglia that protected the civilians of Sicily. I am pretty sure that was 400 years ago, the time of Vongola Primo." Gokudera looked up at Giotto. "Giotto Ieyasu Sawada – named after the Tokugawa family line of the Edo period. The first and last boss of Vongola that did something for others, and not the sake of his own welfare."

"What do you mean? And how do you know all that information?" Mukuro narrowed his eyes. "According to the records, all the sources that lead to the early life of Vongola Primo, and Vongola's creation – it should've been blocked by the private forces of CEDEF and it's allied-"

"I just happen to know about them. Don't ask." Gokudera cut off, as Alaude frowned at the mention of his own organization. "Especially when we have the founder of CEDEF in front of us." Gokudera whispered at Mukuro and Hibari, glancing at Alaude.

"You know a lot, boy." Talbot smiled. "I am not fully aware of the Vongola of the future. I just know that it isn't the Vongola Giotto over here intended to make."

"I don't know much about the Vongola, but I do know that those people shouldn't exist." Ryohei raised his eyebrows, and the glanced at Giotto. "If you say that you created the Famiglia with a clean and firm purpose, then I would believe you. But unfortunately, the Vongola of the future seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to do."

"I know that you kids suffered immensely because of the Vongola. You might not know it, but you did suffer." Talbot said. "That is why you were transported to this world. If you live on here… then you can forget about your previous life. Live a new one, kids."

"Live on… here." Hibari repeated, and Talbot nodded. "Are you trying to say, that we wouldn't be able to return to where we originally stayed?"

Talbot remained silent for a while. "If you insist, then I might be able to find a way. But here's the question, lad." Talbot paused. "Do you want to return?" None of the kids said anything. "Do you want to return to the place, where you need to tormented for something you never deserved? If you want to, then you can. Just remember that you wouldn't have a chance to live a better future."

"A better future, you say." Mukuro said quietly. "Adults always say that."

"… You don't believe in adults." Giotto commented, and Mukuro glared up at the blonde male.

"Adults…" Yamamoto mumbled. "Adults say that they would keep their promise. Adults say that dreams come true. Lies. Adults lie all the time. They look down at one another. Human beings are born like that. Humans are selfish."

"Is it like that in your world?" Lampo asked quietly, and Yamamoto nodded.

"Our world is completely corrupted." Gokudera muttered. "Nobody is kind. Nobody is pure. Nobody is innocent, and nobody cares for someone else other than themselves. Even at the most desperate moments, they lie. That's the truth." Gokudera said. "At least, human beings of the 21st century seem to be."

Talbot nodded, and didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then he opened his mouth again. "Would you kids live here, if I say that we promise that we really wouldn't do anything to you?"

"Adults are full of promises, sir. I don't believe in them anymore." Yamamoto smiled bitterly, as Talbot grinned.

"Then lets do this. Stay in our mansion for one month. If you feel like you want to return to your original world, then I would find a way to bring you all back. However, if you like this place… then you can stay here for the rest of your remaining life. How does it sound?" Talbot smiled, and all the kids in the room blinked, excluding Tsuna, who was sleeping.

"W-wait, Talbot! I didn't say anything-"

"Shush, Giotto." Talbot said, hitting Giotto on the head with his walking stick. "It's only for a month. Each of your guardians can take care of one kid. It's no big deal. And there's Elena too. Would it be that hard?"

Giotto shrugged. "I don't really-"

"Anyways, kids, each of the adults here would take care of one or two of you. It's only for the month you'll be staying for – and of course, if you wish to stay, then we'll continue to take care of you."

"Talbot-" G tapped the old man's shoulders, but was hit by the walking stick as well.

"Introductions. Giotto, start." Talbot glared, as the blonde just gulped as he stepped in front of the kids.

"My-my name is Giotto Ieyasu Sawada. Please just call me Giotto. And can I take care of…" Giotto scanned the kids. He was uncomfortable with G's, Alaude's, and Daemon's… but of course, what came into his eye was his clone, sleeping on Yamamoto's lap. "I would take care of brunette over there. What's his name again?" Giotto glanced at Yamamoto, who still looked unsure, but sighed. "His name is Tsuna. Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"The same last name… coincidence, I suppose." G mumbled, as Giotto scooped Tsuna up with his two arms. He mentally squealed as he saw Tsuna's chubby cheeks, and small hands wobbling in the air, and as they squeezed Giotto's shirt.

"… My name is G. And I am taking… (forcefully taking…) that brat over there." G pointed at Gokudera, as Gokudera scowled.

"I don't like people with pink hair. Is that even natural?"

"It's red, you freaking annoying brat." G grunted, though didn't shout as he was scared that the brunette Giotto was carrying was going to wake up and cry. Oh boy, how much he hated crying kids.

"Hm… my turn, right? Well, then my name is Asari Ugetsu. And I think that I would take care of Yamamoto-kun over there." Asari smiled, and Yamamoto blinked obliviously.

"Me?" he asked, and Asari nodded. "Well… ok…" the boy sounded obscure, but he just shrugged, as the remaining 4 started to frown – especially Mukuro and Hibari, because they didn't want to be taken cared by anyone. But did they have a choice? No. Why? Because they didn't know how to make a fucking time machine.

"My name is Daemon Spade, and can I have… Mukuro-kun, and also the girl sleeping in the other room?"

"I do not want to have a melon as a parent, even though it's temporary. Can I live in the streets and come back after a month?" Mukuro sighed, as a vein popped up on Daemon's forehead. Alaude snorted.

"The kid has more common sense than you, rotten melon."

"Nufufu… fuck you, Alaude."

"Fuck yourself, Daemon Spade."

"Can you two just shut up?" G grumbled.

"Well, Daemon, it's great that you're volunteering to take care of two kids, but are you sure you can do it?" Giotto asked, as Daemon shrugged.

"How hard can it be? And besides, none of you people have a girlfriend that can help you take care of a girl, right? Of course I am the perfect one, then." Daemon said it matter-of-factly, as the rest didn't question further.

"Well, my name is Knuckle, and I decided to take care of… well, what's your name?" Knuckle smiled at Ryohei, and Ryohei looked up.

"Me? Oh… uh, Sasagawa Ryohei to the extreme."

"Is that so? Well, then I hope we get along, Ryohei-kun."

They moved on, with only having Lambo and Hibari left. Hibari seemed to be uninterested in what was happening, and Lambo was just glancing at Gokudera time to time, who was talking to G – more like arguing, but oh well.

"Hn. Alaude." Alaude said, and then looked down at Hibari. Hibari looked back up, expressionless. The boy didn't say anything. _He's strong… a carnivore, I suppose? _Hibari smirked, and Alaude turned, as if he didn't need to say or do anything further.

"I never knew Alaude could use telepathy. Or was it some kind of empathy link?" Giotto questioned G, as his friend shrugged.

"He's Alaude."

"Right. I almost forgot."

"Wait, wait, wait, pause!" Lampo yelled, and then pointed at Lambo. "Then I need to take care of that kid? Why don't I have a choice?"

"Because you're the youngest, and obviously, since we all took our clones, you take your clone. Common sense, Lampo." Daemon explained smoothly, as Lampo glared at the melon haired illusionist.

"Well, since now you all chose the children you would take care of…" Talbot started. "I hope you stay well for a month. I will come back, and ask if you would want to go back."

The kids didn't say anything. Some of them wanted to go back, some of them didn't know what to do.

_It's only a month. Nothing can happen._

Oh really?

**End of chapter.**

**Hi guys, and sorry for the late update. I was a little busy yesterday, because I just arrived from the airport, and I had to unpack all my stuff… etc. I wrote 1000 more words though, as a kind of a way of apologizing. Thanks for being patient with me.**

**By the way, I do know that several characters were OOC, like Yamamoto. They would come back to normal in a few following chapters, though I am not sure when. I apologize for this, but please bear with me because it's a part of the plot and character development. Thank you.**

**So, uh, here are the replies to all your supportive reviews. Personally, I never knew this story would be this popular, but I am glad that all of you like and enjoy my new story. Thanks.**

**DaVinci – I wouldn't put it any OCs that would develop as a major character in the story. Thanks for your review.**

**Icera – I deeply apologize it was a day late. I added 1000 words more. I hope you're satisfied. Thanks for your review.**

**Guest 1 – I am flattered, and glad that you like it better than LMHY. I apologize for my poor planning of the story that time. Thanks for your review.**

**Natsu Yuuki – I am glad you are enjoying this story, and it's nice to hear that you like story with such genres. Thanks for your review.**

**Zhizn24 – You're very supportive. Thanks for your review.**

**PurpleCielo1117 – I am glad to hear that my writing style improved. Thanks for your review.**

**Eion1783 – It's nice to hear you enjoy my story. I would try to keep up to your expectations. Thanks for your review.**

**Guest 2 – I appreciate your enthusiasm. Thanks for your review.**

**Sosososososo – I updated, and I hop you liked the new chapter. Thanks for your review.**

**Foxchick1 – I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for your review.**

**Guest 3 – your compliments are overwhelming. Thanks for your review.**

**Guest 4 – Thanks for telling me a precious piece of information. You might be right – it can be 150 years, but in the manga it does say 400 years… I think. Almost all the stories on this website say 400 years, so I don't really plan on changing it. But again, thanks for telling me, and thanks for your review.**

**You guys are all very helpful. I would try my best to keep up to your expectations. Also, there might be a lot of mistakes, as I don't edit my chapters after I finish writing them. Please bear with me.**

**~Rica~**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_**MAY 11**__**TH**__**, 16XX, DAY 2…**_

It's already been 2 full days since the kids' arrival. Giotto and his guardians realized during that short but also long time, that the kids divided into two different groups. One was a group that was rather open and more friendly – the latter was the one that didn't even try to talk at all. Giotto was personally glad that Tsuna – the kid he got to take care of – was in the 'open' group. Tsuna cried often, but other than that, he was a happy and shy little boy. Giotto sometimes found himself squealing over Tsuna's cuteness.

Gokudera was on the other group – he didn't talk to any of the guardians, except cursing a few times whenever someone tried to talk to him – excluding Lambo; he was the only one Gokudera ever said anything to, and he was also the only one Gokudera seemed to be considerate about. Giotto and Asari often discussed about this – as G and Lampo never seemed to be the ones to share a brotherly bond among their Famiglia.

Yamamoto was just like Asari at most times – he was friendly, easy-going, and sometimes was really dense. He and Gokudera didn't seem to get along, because Gokudera often said rude words to Tsuna, and Yamamoto didn't approve that. Giotto found it amusing that Yamamoto and Gokudera both had "brothers" that they were protective about. G said that he doubted that they were all even related in any way, but Giotto could still see that the boys didn't care about such things.

Mukuro and Chrome seemed to be getting along as well. While Mukuro was cold to everyone else, Giotto sometimes found the boy either talking to Chrome or Hibari. Mukuro smiled time to time while talking with Chrome – as if he felt peaceful and calm whenever he was talking to her. On the other hand, when he was talking to Hibari, he looked more uncomfortable and serious – and mostly, frustrated. Giotto wasn't sure of their relationship, but he could clearly see that the two weren't in good terms.

Lambo was quiet – he was usually found sitting in the corner, nibbling on a piece of candy, or chewing some meat. Lambo hated it when someone took his food, and he seemed to have a habit or eating everything very fast. Giotto and his guardians never figured out why – but G said that it was probably because of how he used to live when he was in the future. _It's the thing with poor people_, G said, _The fear of having the food in front of their eyes for the first few seconds, and then the food suddenly disappearing, as if it was all a dream. Hunger is a scary thing, Giotto._

Ryohei was the most energetic one out of all the eight kids. His catchphrase seemed to be "Extreme", and he said that he was interested in boxing. Knuckle was startled that such a young boy knew all the basic stances, and even knew a few of the moves that even a professional boxer found hard to do. But at times, Knuckle said that Ryohei would be very quiet, and stare into an old photo, and stay like that for a few minutes. Then he wouldn't say anything for a few hours, until he came back to his energetic and bright self.

Hibari, Giotto figured, definitely was a kid with Alaude's blood. He didn't say anything, he was mysterious, and he was well… independent. He would be gone for most of the day, and he wouldn't be there for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Mukuro said that it was because Hibari hated to associate with "herbivores", and furthermore, the skylark didn't like to eat. Giotto and his guardians often spotted him coming in and out through the window, or talking to Mukuro about something. Everytime Giotto heard the two boys talking, all he heard was something about the Lab, and also something about a new experiment. But other than that, none of the adults have even received a chance to talk to the raven haired boy so far.

"Alaude, can you do something to that boy?" G finally asked, his eyebrows raised in a frustrated manner, his face twisting into a scowl, and the feeling of annoyance spreading across his eyes. Alaude looked up for a while, and then averted his gaze elsewhere. G pinched the bridge of his nose.

They were all currently in a meeting room, the kids all out somewhere in the large mansion – except Hibari, because even the adults had no idea where he could be. The only thing they were aware of, was that he always came back each day to eat the leftover food on the dishes, or to grab something from the cupboards.

"G, you're in no position to say such things. Your descendant doesn't talk to you at all as well." Daemon chuckled, "Mine at least says something, though it's mostly about how weird my hairstyle is." Daemon sighed, as G grunted. He also seemed to be frustrated about the fact that his descendant wouldn't talk to him at all.

"At least I'm trying," G grumbled, "that guy over there isn't even attempting to start a conversation." The red head pointed straight at Alaude, who just ignored this and flipped another page of the newspaper.

"Maa, maa… they will open up soon. They're just shy that's all." Asari shrugged, as Daemon glanced at the swordsman, and snorted. "Shy? I _seriously _doubt that that's the reason. Sure, my dear Chrome-chan does seem to be a little scared talking to others so she usually hangs around Mukuro," Daemon paused, "but in the case of that Hibari Kyoya or Gokudera Hayato, it seems like there's another reason behind their stubborn reactions."

"It might just simply be the natural environment they've been living in." Knuckle said simply, "Talbot did say that the 21st century had similar components as our time period. He also said things about human trafficking, juvenile delinquents… etc." The priest shrugged, as the other guardians nodded.

"It's just providing us some firm evidence," G grunted, as he lighted his cigarette with the small candle flame next to him. "That those kids were possibly a part of those actions. And seeing some of them, it's almost as if they were really juvenile delinquents. Hayato probably is one, though I can't be so sure." G clucked his tongue, as he breathed a puff of smoke out of his mouth.

"_Hayato? _You already call him by his first name? How sweet, G." Lampo said teasingly, as G punched his head right after. "It's not as if you're in the position to say that, you filthy, ungrateful _brat. _And besides, half of us here call them by their first names. Of course… except that prideful Mr. CEDEF over there." G grunted, as Alaude glared at the right hand man meaningfully.

"That's because calling them by their last names are rather weird on the tongue, and in the case of Lambo… he doesn't have a last name." Giotto commented, as the room fell silent. They were reminded of what the boy had told them on their very first encounter – he casually said that he didn't have a last name – and even his first name wasn't a one given by his parents, but a boy who was not even related to him by blood.

"It's rather odd to me though, some of their relationships." Asari spoke up. "Tsuna-kun and Takeshi seem to rely on one another and know eachother very well, but they aren't blood related as well. Hayato-kun and Lambo-kun seem to have a brotherly bond, but the truth is that Lambo was found by Hayato when he was a toddler on the streets, so they also don't have any connections between one another either. Ryohei-kun seems to be a lonely individual, and Chrome-chan also is presumed to fall in the same category as him. Lastly, the relationship that most intrigues me is Mukuro-kun and Kyoya-kun…"

"Ah, about that, I was curious as well." Giotto nodded in agreement. "They don't even share a friendship-like bond like Tsuna and Takeshi, and don't share a brotherly bond like Hayato or Lambo, and they're not even isolated individuals that don't know eachother at all. At first I simply not it was some odd rivalry between small boys, but at the same time, they seem to be fond with one another's existence." Giotto concluded, his expression filled with confusion.

G shrugged. "It's kind of like their relationship." The right hand man pointed at the mist and cloud guardian. "They hate eachother, but can't live without one another because life would be fucking boring without fighting someone at the same level, and sometimes don't even care about each other's existence, but at rare situations, they surprisingly get along." Giotto blinked, as Alaude and Daemon instantly glared at the male.

"Well… putting that matter aside…"

**MEANWHILE, WITH THE KIDS…**

"Haya-nii, why are you so mean to everyone?" Lambo asked, his face clueless as he leaned on Gokudera's shoulders. The silver haired boy scowled, as he flipped another page of the thick book in his hands. Then he sighed, patting Lambo's head. "You know that it's not safe to trust anyone, Lambo. Humans are not trustworthy at all."

Lambo put on a sullen face. "But… Takeshi-nii was kind as well. He didn't look like he would ever hurt us, like the other men last week-" Gokudera glared at Lambo, and Lambo didn't say anything more, as his shoulders hunched up at the silverlette's look. Gokudera stood up and walked away, as Lambo just stared, and then sighed heavily.

On the other side of the room, Yamamoto and Tsuna were talking to eachother happily, as Tsuna giggled time to time. Then the boy spotted Lambo, and then frowned. "Yamamoto nii-san, Lambo is alone again." He pointed at the fluffy black haired boy, who was curled up in the corner, staring at his feet. Yamamoto glanced around the quiet library, noticing that Gokudera, who usually stayed with Lambo, wasn't present – at least, not anymore.

"Lambo." The raven haired boy smiled at Lambo, as the little boy looked up slowly. "Do you want to play with us?" Lambo hesitated, and then finally opened his mouth, to answer, only to be blocked mid-way by a mysterious voice appearing out of nowhere.

"This is a library, Kufufu… you certainly shouldn't be playing in it, should you kiddos?" Yamamoto frowned as Mukuro chuckled, holding Chrome's hand. "Your name was Mukuro, was it? You've already got so close to the girl?" Yamamoto questioned, as Mukuro just shrugged, as Chrome hid quietly behind his back.

"I'm not the worst at socializing, unlike the skylark. I can make friends if I want to, I can be friendly if I want to, I can be a bastard if I want to, and furthermore," Mukuro smirked, lifting his head up a little. "I can kill anyone if I want to. It's all because I'm Rokudo Mukuro." Yamamoto frowned.

"It was almost as if you couldn't win that Hibari guy the other day when you fought in the dining room. Is that also because you're Rokudo Mukuro?" Yamamoto questioned, narrowing his eyes as he pulled Tsuna against his body. Mukuro twitched at the mention of his rival, and then smirked. "I'm stronger than him. Don't think that I unleashed all my strength just to grab victory from that _bird_ that can never escape its own cage. I-" Mukuro stopped, noticing that he said too much. He sighed, and then turned away. "Let's go, Nagi." Chrome followed the little illusionist, as Yamamoto frowned at the guy.

Suddenly, when Mukuro was about to exit the room, the door slammed open, revealing Ryohei, who was covered in a layer of sweat and panting heavily. "Mukuro… right?" Ryohei looked down and smiled at Chrome. "And Dokuro-chan." Mukuro glared at the small boy for a while. "You could at least take a bath before coming into a _library._" Mukuro said, as Ryohei laughed nervously, scratching his sweaty back. "Well, you see… I did try to go to the bathroom to take a shower, but I still can't figure out to use all the water and stuff. Back in our time, there used to be all the water faucets and everything, but over here it's all… different." Mukuro snorted. "Of course it is. We are in the _past, _Sasagawa Ryohei." Ryohei shrugged, as Mukuro walked past him. Chrome followed quietly.

"What's wrong with that guy today? He's acting all weird." Ryohei narrowed his eyes, asking Yamamoto. The little boy shrugged, Tsuna still in his arms. Lambo was now gone – it seemed like he left a little after Mukuro arrived. "Mukuro is always weird. So is that Hibari guy and the Gokudera guy." Yamamoto mumbled, as Ryohei shrugged helplessly.

A few seconds of silence fell over the large room, until the glass windows trembled a little until it slammed open. It was Hibari. He jumped down and landed on the floor and stood up again, cracking his knuckles a little. He raised his eyebrows once he spotted Ryohei, Yamamoto, and Tsuna. "Hey, Hibari!" Ryohei shouted, as Hibari winced at the volume. "I saw you jumping over the gates while I was doing my workout outside. Are you busy?" Ryohei asked, as Hibari frowned, not saying anything.

"Ne, why don't you talk, nii-san? You can speak, right?" Tsuna tilted his head to side a little, as Yamamoto jumped at the comment, and Hibari glared, slowly reaching for his tonfas. However, he immediately pulled his temper down, seeing Tsuna's innocent face. His expression softened, as he remembered the kids at the Lab. _He doesn't know how brutal this world can be. I suppose I don't need to teach him so early about the truth of this world… this planet still needs at least one innocent child for one more second. Even if it's a herbivore… hn, I can go over it for today. _Hibari sighed, and walked past the clueless trio. He stopped and glanced at Tsuna, and opened his mouth.

"I can speak herbivore. I just don't bother to waste my energy on such herbivorous stuff." Hibari said quietly, as Tsuna smiled, glad that the skylark finally responded to his question. Hibari's eyes widened as he saw the smile, and then returned to its normal size as he walked away. He closed the door and stood there for a while. _Smiling at me… huh. _Hibari closed his eyes for a while, as if he was thinking a little more about the past. He walked away soon after, leaving the trio alone.

"Hey." Hibari looked up to see Gokudera, hanging on one of chandeliers. "I want to talk to you for a while." He jumped down, as Hibari frowned. "You and that Mukuro guy," Gokudera started, raising his right brow. "You're specimens for the Laboratory of the Estraneo Famiglia, right?" Hibari's eyes widened, as he scowled at Gokudera.

Hibari remained wordless for a few seconds, until he sighed and opened his mouth to speak. "That pineapple is a specimen, yes. He's used for special experiments conducted by the most famous and professional scientists of the Famiglia. But I'm different. I'm not a specimen." Hibari paused, and then raised his face, smirking. "And you, herbivore, are the _trashed _son of the _Scuro _Famiglia." Gokudera scowled.

"How did you-"

"I noticed you looked familiar from the moment I saw you, herbivore. And didn't I tell you… I am _different. _I know some information that might be threatening to you." Hibari shrugged, as Gokudera narrowed his eyes. "But I'm not a herbivore that uses dirty tricks to just step over some useless materials, so I wouldn't say anything. But… isn't _that_ the reason you are avoiding that little brown haired herbivore? Because he was supposed to be…" Hibari trailed off, as Gokudera grunted. "By the way, that little bratty herbivore you carry around," Hibari glanced at the silverlette, as Gokudera sighed. "You do know who he is supposed to be too, right?" Gokudera shrugged. "I do. But now we're in the same position. I don't plan on abandoning him." Hibari raised his left brow. "I see." Then he continued to walk down the hallway, as Gokudera stared at him.

"Just… what is he?"

**MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN THE FUTURE…**

"Byakuran-sama, we can't find them. And it's already been two days… I think we should give up already-"

"Rasiel." A man purred, a hint of rage mixed in the smooth voice, as the strawberry blonde haired man in front flinched in slight fear. "Are you telling me, to lose the chance of breaking all the possible future threats to our Millefiore Famiglia? Give up the fun of seeing those 8 kids that share the blood of _that_ Vongola Famiglia, getting tortured by my private forces, falling into the whirlwind of my perfect plan to torment them for a lifetime? Everything was turning out just as I hoped. One child lost hope, one child lost his only family, one was trashed, one tried to run away from his own fate, one has not even a year to live, one doesn't know of anything, one now met the destiny of having to be used for other external purposes for his whole life, and one is treated like a ragged toy, beaten up and thrown here and there. And are you telling me Rasiel," The man – Byakuran, growled. "To possibly give them mercy and give up on making their hopes completely _shatter_?"

"Certainly not, sir." Rasiel bowed, as Byakuran forced a smile on his face. He opened his mouth again to speak. "Find them. I don't care how much money I would need to use, I don't care how long it would take. Find them, and teach them a lesson. Especially the ones that are directly under our allied Famiglia's care, as those ones are easier to punish." Byakuran chuckled like a maniac, as Rasiel just stood there. "I will teach them that their life is over. That once they share the blood of the Vongola Famiglia, they can't escape from me. _Ever." _

Suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing a woman with a afro, who was wearing a white uniform. "Byakuran-sama, it seems like Irie has found out the last place the kids disappeared." The woman said, as Byakuran's eyes widened in excitement.

"What did Sho-chan say?" Byakuran questioned, as the woman hesitated, until she opened her mouth to speak. "Um, sir, the thing is… it seems to be that they were transported to another dimension – or possibly another time period. They all disappeared around the same time, with only a few minutes of time gaps or for some, none at all. The cause of all this seems to be the invention that the Bovino Famiglia made a few years ago – the 10 year bazooka… but I think someone upgraded it into something totally new, so that the user can transport to even different dimensions."

Byakuran didn't say anything for a while, until he licked his lips, his expression dark and filled with lust.

"Catch them. Bring them back to this world." Byakuran said quietly, as the female – namely Iris Hepburn – frowned, narrowing her eyes. "But Byakuran-sama, it would at least take a month to fully figure out their locations, and create a copy of the ten year bazooka. We do have Spanner, but I am not sure-"

"Iris." Byakuran said forcefully, as the female paused, as Rasiel stared at his boss, expressionless. "I told you," Byakuran looked up, glaring at the woman. "To go and catch them and bring them back to me. Like I am trying to improvise," the male clucked his tongue. "I don't care how much money I will need to spend, I don't care how long it will take. Bring. Them. Back." Byakuran growled, as Iris and Rasiel nodded and exited the room as fast as they could.

Byakuran sighed, clucking his tongue as he stared up at the ceiling of his office. He smirked.

_The cursed children of Vongola… sorry, but I can't let you go that easily… at least, not until I shatter your hopes and identity._

_Completely._

**End of chapter.**

**Hi guys. How was this chapter? I hope it wasn't too rushed. So… I tried my best to portray the current state of the relationship between the adults and the children. Usually in other stories, they make the children and adults get along right away, but in this story I wanted to show you guys the character development of each of the children and adults. I hope it isn't making any of you guys sleep while reading this because of the slow pace.**

**Well, originally Byakuran was supposed to appear a little later, but I just decided to make him stand on stage a little earlier because nothing seemed to be a problem with that idea. You will figure out about the connection between the Vongola Famiglia and Byakuran later on, and his reason for wanting to break the kids so much. You need to remember – he wants to 'break' them, but he never says he wants to kill them. Hm…**

**Anyways, my replies to all the helpful reviews.**

**Zhizn214 – Thank you very much. Your review encourages me while writing. **

**Sico1324 – I might not be able to show you those 'people' ripping apart for real, but I might write a similar scene. Thanks for being passionate about the characters.**

**Urara S. H. – I am glad you like my story. Thanks.**

**Guest – making Hayato and Lambo have a brotherly bond was just what I remembered about Reborn saying so in the actual anime. Thank you very much for taking such interest in the plot and characters.**

**Chio 'No' Akuma – Tsuna doesn't play a major role yet, but he will soon. Thanks for supporting this story.**

**Natsu Yuuki – I thank all my reviewers for all their encouragement towards this story, including you. I am glad you're thankful about the update though.**

**Anyways, thanks for the continuous support. I will update as soon as I can, but with school opening again, I don't know if I will manage a readable length. Please be patient with me.**

**~Rica~**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**16XX, MAY 16**__**TH**__**, DAY 7…**_

"Like I told you, I'm _not_ going to tell you!"

"It can't be _that _bad to tell us anything! You guys have been here for one week, and we know absolutely nothing about you kids except for the fact that you're all really either shy or too prideful and stubborn for your own good." G growled, as Gokudera glared at him. He could easily tell that by the stubborn kids, G meant him, Mukuro, Lambo, and Hibari. Lambo was actually not that stubborn as the elder 3, but Giotto said that it was better for him to be categorized as stubborn because 'shy' wasn't the word that suited him any better.

"It's not that it's bad, it's just…" Yamamoto trailed off, trying to think of a legitimate reason. "It's not the right time yet. We… well, at least Tsuna and I aren't one hundred percent sure that you people are trustworthy. We both know what happens when… when you put your trust and faith in someone too fast and too much and…" Yamamoto's expression turned rather sullen and dark. "And when it's all betrayed and trashed at once."

G's expression softened, as he groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced at Giotto, hoping he would give a wise response, but his best friend seemed to be troubled with the existence of the kids already. "Then can you at least tell us a hint why you don't trust people so much? It doesn't need to be something specific. It can be something brief and rough, and just… a few words." Asari suggested. "Because we told you almost everything we could at the moment. It's been a week already and… we feel like you didn't tell us anything." The rain guardian replied, as the kids glanced at each other. Some looked confused, some looked conflicted with the situation.

"Why do you want to know about us in the first place?" Mukuro questioned silently, his expression uncomfortable as he opened and clenched his fists momentarily. Daemon noticed that Mukuro often did so when he was feeling anxious, or either nervous. "We're just… _ordinary _kids from the future, that have no relations to you people whatsoever. We each live in different time periods of a big gap of 400 years. But why," he paused, "Do you want to know about our background so much?"

_No relations? Not really… all our blood is downright in all of you._ Lampo thought quietly, but didn't say anything – firstly because he knew better than to present panic and mass confusion to the already nervous kids with his own mouth, secondly because he knew Giotto's reaction wouldn't be very pleasant to see, and lastly because he held pity too – as a pretty normal human being – against the kids, who obviously found difficulty in harmonizing successfully with others in cases of communication. _I can't say anything because I don't understand how they feel, but maybe… _he glanced side wards at G and Giotto, and then shook his head. _That's not my thing to deal with. I just need to… I just need to help the others in getting along with one another, like Giotto told us the other day in the Meeting room._

_**FLASHBACK… (3 DAYS AGO, 16XX MAY 13**__**TH**__**)**_

"_Don't rush things and try to understand… eh." Knuckle nodded a little as he repeated Giotto's idea. "I agree with that. The kids definitely aren't in the mental condition to be forced into a bombard of questions or personal interrogations. Well, we shouldn't put our grandchildren into an Interrogation Room in the first place. I am afraid of God's punishment that will hit us in the future." Knuckle said with a serious expression, as G silently reminded himself again – that despite the energetic personality, the boxer – well, former boxer, was indeed a priest._

"_Mental condition… yes, you're right. Those kids all each fear something. I can tell by the looks they always seem to put on habitually, and the feelings that show in their eyes. As they're still kids and still young, despite the fact that they do seem to know the pressure this world gives to humans, and they probably might've experienced it in various ways – they are still amateurs at hiding their emotions professionally like adults. Kids are honest with feelings…" Daemon thought carefully, trailing off as he reminded himself of Mukuro, Hibari, and Gokudera. "Except some." He concluded._

"_You were always good at reading people, Daemon…" Giotto scanned the room for a while. "And Alaude. I have my Hyper Intuition, but that is different from the natural talent or abilities of being able to read though someone. I'll need your support from now on, my fellow mist and cloud guardians." Giotto intoned – and Daemon and Alaude couldn't even gain a chance to retort because of the finality in their boss' voice. In Daemon's case, he had no choice, and for Alaude, after acknowledging Giotto's strength, he was fairly loyal to blonde so he didn't mind. _

"_G, since you're the most brash one vocally in this very lot-"_

"_Hey, hey, is that supposed to be an insult?" G frowned at Giotto, and Giotto smirked a little playfully as he shook his head._

"_No; in this way, it might be presented to you as a fair compliment. You will hold the position of pressuring the kids a little into truthfully vocalizing their background." G scowled after hearing this, and Giotto also sighed, narrowing his eyes. "It's painful for me too, to say this with my own mouth. I don't want to force them into telling us anything, really. I sort of know what it is to feel like to be in the exact same position too. I am guessing you're feeling discomforted because you also know the feeling, G; and of course I don't want the kids to experience the same thing. Especially when they are our descendants." Slightly whispering the last sentence, Giotto supported his chin with the palm of his right hand as he continued._

"_However, we can't just wait like this – wait and do nothing until they tell us. You saw them. All of you saw them and noticed almost immediately – that these kids would be hard to convince. Some might look easy – but in reality, you all know that it wouldn't be – you should all know by observing them for these past few days." Giotto paused, inhaling a deep breath. "Sometimes we know some people didn't do anything wrong, and we know that they don't deserve something that was done maybe in a cruel way to them. However, even if we know they didn't do anything wrong, we need firm evidence that they didn't. Basically because our feelings aren't enough – and what we saw isn't enough. That's why we need to question the person and pressure them – so that we finally know and have confidence that this person doesn't deserve what they were given. This is the exact same situation." Giotto said, as a few in the room nodded unconsciously by the persuasive remark of their boss._

"_Right. So you're saying we need to approach them first, instead of waiting for them to come to us." Asari stated, and Giotto nodded at the comment of understatement by his rain guardian._

"_Yes. That is why Alaude, Daemon, and I are going to observe the kids carefully and what they tell us as G pressures them – of course, carefully – into vocalizing their thoughts. Of course, I would tell you guys in private to explain what I see through them with my Hyper Intuition – and what is the truth – because some of them might lie in a fluent manner towards us." Giotto responded, as Lampo opened his mouth._

"_And I am assuming that we all have our own respective roles, just like Alaude, Daemon, and G do?" Lampo questioned, as Giotto smiled a little at the lightning guardian. The blonde was quite glad that all his guardians were willing to cooperate. Of course, Giotto knew that the guardians were all rather feeling responsible in a way – including himself – because it was _their _descendants. _

"_I was about to explain that part, Lampo." Giotto glanced at his leftover guardians, and nodded slightly. "Asari and Knuckle – I'm assigning you the role of trying to approach the kids in a different way – I'd say a friendly manner. I am giving you this role because you two – well, are basically the sun and rain guardians. You support and calm the family. I know you're the best at dealing with kids, and with your personality, you will probably be able to connect with the kids very fast. Of course, in about… what, a week from now on? Elena would be coming back – and I will explain what she'll need to do. Hopefully she will become a mother figure of the kids while they're here."_

"_And Lampo?" Daemon asked, tilting his head to the side. Giotto stared at Lampo intently for a while, and the slowly spoke._

"_Lampo will support Asari, Knuckle, and Elena when she comes back from her trip – into getting along with the kids."_

"_Eh, me? But-"_

"_I know you don't get along with kids, and you don't like them either." Giotto responded softly, as Lampo didn't say anything. "But you just need to help Knuckle and Asari or even Elena when they're not available. There are 3 of them and there are 8 kids to connect with. You might not be the best one when dealing with kids, but surely you're better than G, Daemon, or Alaude." Giotto remarked, as the 3 flinched. It was true, though none of them wanted to admit the said fact. Lampo frowned a little, and then pursed his lips together in a thin line, as if he was thinking about it. Giotto waited patiently for the answer._

_Finally, the neon-green haired male sighed lightly. "… I understand." He averted his eyes to the ground, grumbling a little, as Giotto smiled and nodded. "Thank you for helping Lampo. I'm glad you're my lightning guardian." Lampo softened at this. He couldn't stay grouchy for long in front of Giotto. Nobody could. Not even Daemon or Alaude. _

"_Remember – you in particular G, because really you have the most difficult and sensitive role to deal with – we should never hurt them – mentally or definitely not physically – than they already are. Those kids are broken. If I could find out who it was that did such an grotesque action to mere youngsters like them…" Giotto scowled, gritting his teeth. "I would make them regret that they were ever born. I'm definitely not saying this just because those kids are our descendants – but the words of justice. Not the cleanest justice, but…" Giotto trailed. "That's how we humans are, anyways."_

"_Though, it triggers my curiosity," Daemon started silently, "You should all remember that when all of those kids first appeared, they all held injuries. Big or small, serious or not – nonetheless, they were all some sort of injuries. Obviously not done by themselves. That can only mean there is a separate abuser. I am guessing some might just be scrapes when they were running or around but…" Daemon looked at the ceiling for a while. "I wonder why human beings are so selfish. For their own survival, or for their own illegitimate reasons, they hurt the innocent others surrounding them." Hearing the mist guardian's words, the cloud guardian that was silent throughout the whole session opened his own mouth as well._

"_Herbivores. It's the way they live on in their own world. And don't forget what that old herbivore (Talbot) said to us. Those… kids," Alaude said with small difficulty, pulling down the urge to call them herbivores. "Suffered because of the unseen blood flowing inside them. Vongola's blood." The platinum blonde commented. The others were pretty sure that those were probably one of the longest sentences that Alaude ever said in his whole time staying with them._

"_Vongola's blood…" Asari sighed. "Who could possibly be after the people who share Vongola's blood?" The room fell silent at the rain guardian's mysterious question._

"_Really," Giotto said, "I don't want to know."_

_**END OF FLASHBACK…**_

Mukuro sighed as he walked down the long corridor that showed almost no end. He had exited the room after G questioned them carefully. Usually he would venture the mansion with Chrome, but this time he wanted to be alone. Mukuro stopped as he remembered what he told the grumpy male once he asked them for hints.

"_You want a hint?" The boy sneered. "Well, here's the hint. Everyone here – all of us here – were terrorized and tortured endlessly till now. Just because of something that we couldn't do anything about – something that was beyond our control – something that everyone blamed us for it, even though we didn't do anything. I can't be sure about the others here, but I will speak for them anyways." Mukuro paused. "You adults don't know what it is like – not being able to escape your destiny at all. The fate that holds you back from freedom, and the blood that flows in your body – a blood that everyone say is cursed and should be discriminated. When I don't even have a single idea – what's that blood they keep on talking about." Mukuro said breathlessly. He walked past the adults as he opened the doorknob. Then he turned back, glaring at every one of them standing in the room. Giotto stared, knowing what Mukuro was talking about. The Unknown Blood flowing inside the boy. Vongola's blood. Mukuro spoke. _

"_Do you people understand that?"_

Mukuro sighed heavily, leaning on the wall nearby with mixed feelings. He knew he was being unhelpful, stubborn, and well, _cocky. _In a way, he was also fully aware that those people were adults – and they should know better about the world than him. He clenched his fists, and wiped his palms on his pants again, sweat forming in his hands.

_I didn't do anything wrong. It's not my fault that I can't trust people. I'll never trust anyone. Adults are horrible. _Then Mukuro paused, remembering the thing that Talbot said – that if they wished, they could go back to future. _I don't want to go back there. Obviously. _Mukuro shrugged a little, remembering the painful experiments done on him. _But… I don't want to stay here either. _Mukuro sighed, as he stood up straight again and regained his composure. Then he continued to walk down the corridor, several thoughts interfering one another at once.

Suddenly, Mukuro scowled as he whipped back, sensing another present existence. He stopped and frowned, noticing that it was Hibari.

"Isn't it the skylark. What business do you have with me?" He forced a mysterious smile, as Hibari remained silent for the first few seconds, expressionless.

"I have something to share with you. And I'm only sharing it with you, because for now, the only other reliable – and well, the herbivore I know best of is you." Mukuro raised his eyebrows. He knew Hibari was serious – because or else he would never be saying that to Mukuro. Mukuro also dropped his smile and opened his mouth.

"You found out something, didn't you. From all that journeys to the village, I suppose? Since you do know some Italian, from staying with the Estraneo. So let me listen to you… what is it?" The small male illusionist tilted his head to the side. Hibari leaned on the wall, as he spoke.

"The thing about this place. Apparently called…" Hibari hesitated. "The Vongola mansion. You should know that, since we know a well amount of information about this Famiglia."

"Yes, but that's not very surprising, is it?"

Hibari closed his eyes. "What will you say, herbivore… if there is a small song about the Cursed Blood of the Vongola?"

Mukuro frowned.

"Explain."

**MEANWHILE, WITH GOKUDERA…**

Gokudera was the only one still remaining in the room after the ruckus created by Mukuro. The adults left one by one, excusing themselves. Gokudera could easily tell that they were going off for another 'meeting' or something – something that he didn't need to care about. Hibari left soon after, after he looked like he was thinking about some other matter, and Yamamoto and Tsuna exited the room, saying they will go play catch in the yards. Ryohei and Chrome decided to join, since they had nothing to do, and Lambo was also lured into playing the childish game. Well, Lambo was still a little kid after all.

Gokudera stared at the window. He looked out and saw the 4 kids playing and running around the yards, screaming joyfully. For once, it seemed peaceful – and nothing seemed to be worrisome. Just looking at them would make anyone feel like nothing wrong was about to happen. However, Gokudera was different. He was currently stressing himself out with a melody that kept on bothering him endlessly.

_Hints… of my family… my background… huh. _Gokudera thought, as he sat down, hugging his knees. _Now that I think about it… I don't exactly have good memories about any of them. Not even father, or Bianchi… _then his eyes widened, as he reminded himself of his mother.

"_Hayato!"_

The kind voice that called his name, the gentle hands that held his close. The only considerate one that he remembered about his childhood. The delicate fingers that played the piano, and the high but smooth voice that sang along with the tune. Gokudera's eyes widened as he remembered the unforgettable and rather nostalgic melody that kept on replaying in his head. He finally remembered what it was.

_**FLASHBACK… **_

"_There are 8 lonely clams, 8 lonely clams. The lonely 8 that did no wrong, but were tainted black and shattered by the strong. The powerful seas, the fearsome waves, O', how fearsome they were. The lonely 8 clams, the lonely 8 clams. They break, they shatter, they cry, and fight together – but O', the fearsome waves – too strong, too vicious, too merciless… the storms arise, and the skies open again, and the fierce wind stops, O', the time of judgment and justice is here. A rainbow – a beautiful rainbow appears in front, and the lonely 8 clams are no longer black… O', the lonely 8 clams, the lonely 8 clams… now fearless and friendly."_

"_It's a beautiful song, don't you think, Hayato? It's a very old song from hundreds of years ago, in Italy." The woman explains, as she finished the song. The boy simply nods, as his mother pats him on the head._

"_Though mother," the young Gokudera spoke up, as the woman glanced at her son. "What happened to the sea afterwards?" His mother blinked, and the smiled softly as she put an arm around her son._

"_I don't know Hayato, but I think… that it would've probably went back to it's calm and soothing self. The sea can be scary, but usually it's a very pretty and friendly thing." The woman replied, as her son frowned at her, not understanding the meaning of her words very much._

"_The sea, never becomes violent without a reason, after all."_

_**END OF FLASHBACK…**_

"The 8 lonely clams, the violent sea, and the rainbow of justice…" the boy mumbled under his breath, his voice muffled as his face was covered by his arm which he was leaning on.

"Could it be…"

**MEANWHILE, WITH THE OTHER KIDS…**

"Ne, Lambo, is Gokudera… usually that intense?" Yamamoto asked, panting. They were all lying down on the damp grass after running around. Lambo hummed a little as he shook his head.

"Haya-nii is… well, usually very composed. Whenever he was with me, he would always be the calm and patient one that took care of me. He was strict about me talking to other unknown adults, and he never let me wander off alone. He would tell me to stay in a location until he would come back – and after a while he would come back with stuff like matches, newspaper, some twigs, and usually some trashed and leftover food. On lucky days there would be takoyaki thrown away by tourists, on normal days we would have something like half-eaten fish, on unlucky days we will just eat a chip or two, or even nothing at all."

None of them said anything for a while. "That must've been hard for you to the extreme." Ryohei nodded, as Lambo's eyes widened. He felt… happy. It was a feeling he never had before. He was happy that someone understood him – and someone felt sorry for him. Nobody did – nobody except Gokudera. Gokudera was the only person he ever knew that would understand his situation, and take care of him like a real parent would. Really, Lambo wasn't sure what a parent would normally do to their children, because he never had any, but he was sure they would be something similar to Gokudera. Taking care of him, and furthermore, loving him. Lambo liked that – parents.

"It must be nice to have a family. Lambo-sama never had any." Lambo said, his small childish way of talking coming back to him.

"Not… exactly." Chrome said bitterly, her soft voice carried by the wind. "No… actually, never mind. Yes, it would be nice to have parents… to have friendly parents that would do anything for you. Parents that would even sacrifice themselves for your survival." The girl forced a weak smile. Yamamoto noticed the slight fakeness that was trying to cover her feelings.

"Mm… I don't know about nice parents, really…" Tsuna mumbled a little. "All my foster parents didn't like me. I don't remember doing anything bad to them though – but they would always say-"

"Tsuna." Yamamoto said softly. "Let's not talk about that. It wasn't your fault. It was their fault for not noticing and realizing their own mistakes. You didn't deserve it. You know that."

"I… guess." Tsuna said, but he sounded unsure.

"I bet Sawada, you did nothing wrong to the extreme. I have a feeling that those people were wrong." Ryohei encouraged as well, though he didn't have a single clue what Tsuna went through – being one of the oldest among the children, the small boxer kind of grew that abilities of being able read situations and meanings behind words. Of course, he wasn't as good as Mukuro and Hibari, but he did know how.

"It's odd, isn't it? It's already been a week since we met each other, and yet this is our first time properly talking to one another like this." Yamamoto chuckled. "Though, none of you sound as intense as the other 3 up there."

"Mm. I think we'll get along."

Comfortable silence fell over the youngsters, as the afternoon breeze swept over them.

"Ne… I'm hungry." Lambo said quietly, as his stomach rumbled.

The kids paused, as they laughed all over again.

**WITH THE ADULTS, BACK AT THE MEETING ROOM…**

"'Do you understand'… well, that was rather unexpected." Daemon was the first one to open his mouth and speak. As it was his descendant, he couldn't help but feel rather discomforted by the words – and for some reason, he felt guilty – because he indeed could _not _relate with the boy. He had no clue what the boy could've been through. He had to admit, the boy was good at hiding his emotions and controlling his words. It almost sounds as if he is at the verge of exploding and blurting out everything – but manages to control his mental state, and keeps his propositions at a steady rate. For a mere… what, 12 year old? That was rather impressive.

"My Hyper Intuition couldn't catch anything in particular. Disappointing, but what I'm sure of from today, is that the one with the most unstable mental state is Mukuro." Giotto said, as some put on rather surprised looks.

"Really? He seemed to be rather well composed and controlled in my opinion." Asari frowned. "To me, Gokudera-kun seemed to be the most anxious one among the lot. Actually, all the stubborn kids seem to be nervous in a way." All the adults nodded.

"Well, there was always a saying that stubborn ones act the way they do because they are afraid that they would fall down, helpless, when they put down that façade. And that's also why they are the easiest ones to show their real personality." Knuckle shrugged, as Giotto tapped his finger on the table.

"I can't be so sure, actually, but I am guessing that Hibari-kun and Mukuro-kun's reason for being like that is all related to this so called Lab they're talking about. Other than that, I never saw those two discussing about something else." Asari nodded, as Lampo hummed in the corner, sucking on a sugar candy.

"How about the other ones? The younger ones I mean. Including Ryohei, though he is the same age as Hibari and Mukuro." The lightning guardian tilted his head to the side, as Giotto looked up to answer.

"The younger ones, to my surprise, are way harder to read."

"Nufufu… that I will have to agree with. They're hiding those wicked secrets behind those cute smiles."

Giotto sighed heavily. G smirked, as he spoke.

"Well, well, lets not become so discouraged. Remember? If there's a hard question on a test, then don't waste your time on that one – move onto the next one. You can come back to it afterwards. We'll face the stubborn kids first – as they do seem easier to read. And they possess a lot of knowledge, compared to the other ones. I can tell."

Giotto nodded. "Then that's the plan."

**End of chapter.**

**Chapter 4 done. I could get it completed fast because well, I did all of it in the plane except this Author's Note. But anyways.**

**For now, I decided that Mukuro, Hibari, and Gokudera would get their spotlight first on stage, because their pasts are quite easy to explain than other kids. And also, you'll get to know better, but they have unstable mental conditions like Giotto said. I think some of you might know why Mukuro the most unstable mental state – but if you don't, that would be introduced soon.**

**If some of you think this story is rather too serious when it's only the beginning – that is because I don't plan on putting in any Daily Life chapters yet. Maybe… a few distant chapters later. But not now. I need to get done with all their stories – and I really want to get it done fast… so yeah.**

**Lastly, I am finally starting to make some of them act friendly to one another – and you may all notice that those are all the kids that are categorized as the kids that are open, but the hardest to read overall. That will also be explained later on.**

**In the next chapter, you will get a glimpse of Mukuro's past, and also… uh, the one and only villain of this story, Byakuran. **

**Replies:**

**Silvermoon170 – I grew a liking to realistic stories filled with angst nowadays, so I decided I would try one. I am glad you like it.**

**Knightcross – I don't really think Tsuna will get like, a major, major role in this story. In other words, the other characters would all be as important as him – and no one is going to stand out dramatically. Thanks for the review.**

**Guest 1 – Yes, awesome suspense. Thank you.**

**Guest 2 – Gokudera and Tsuna's connection would be explained in various chapters. Thanks.**

**Anonymous – I think I know who you are… but I won't say anything, because I may be wrong. But thanks for the encouragement.**

**VongolAddiction – here's your update. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Alexia Hellsing – Yay, another encouraging review! I think their pasts will be all explained around chapter 10 or before, as I planned this story to be somewhere around less than 25 chapters… but well, I don't know. Thanks.**

**AngeliqueSora – You would be surprised if you get to know the truth. Thanks for the review.**

**Zhizn214 – thanks for the encouragement. I will keep your words in mind.**

**Makubex000 – Well, the title of this story is Mending Heart after all. Thanks for the review.**

**Natsu Yuuki – Here's the update. I hope you liked it.**

**See you later, thanks for the support.**

**~Rica~**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_**16XX, MAY 19**__**TH**__**, DAY 10…**_

_Where… am I? A cave? A hole? No, is this another experiment… no, I don't want this… I should be in the past so why-_

"_Onii-chan!"_

'_Who…?'_

"_Onii-chan, you said you were going to play with me today!"_

'_Who is she…? A girl… is she talking to me?'_

_The scenery changed as it blurred slightly, showing the crowded area of the Slave Trading Center. It smelled up rotten flesh and blood, dirt piles blocking the path, unknown substances wetting the ground, little kids in chains and handcuffs walking in a row as they were dragged by one buff looking man that pulling them to a certain location, which the kids didn't know of._

"_Onii-chan? Where are we going?"_

_Mukuro looked at the girl and his younger self, bewildered by the sight. He couldn't recognize the girl at all. She looked like him – there was no doubt in that. Did he have a long lost sister? Why couldn't he remember her?_

_His younger self smiled, his expression filled with sorrow and kindness. He whispered something that Mukuro couldn't hear of as a reply, as the girl stared up at him, looking innocent as Mukuro patted her head. This time, the scene changed again – it was still at the Trading Center, but this time they were locked up in small rooms – rooms where slaves that couldn't be sold for the day were kept. In the room, around 10 kids were barely being able to sit down in a comfortable position, as Mukuro saw himself sulking with the girl in the corner._

_Suddenly, everything went silent, as the door of the room slammed opened and the girl was roughly dragged by her arm by a man in a black suit, leaving the younger Mukuro crying her name, as the girl desperately tried to escape the strong arms – though both of their efforts turned out wasted. _

"_No…"_

"NO!" Mukuro yelled out, as he sat up on his bed abruptly, his face covered with small droplets of tears and cold sweat. He groaned a little, after realizing it was nothing but a mere dream. He pulled his blanket back over his head, trying to block out the weird noises that were bothering him, and the face of that crying girl that looked eerily similar as him.

His shoulders unconsciously hunched up, as he heard footsteps approaching his room. He clenched his fists as his breathing went uneven, as he shut his eyes closed and tried to calm down. He hoped that it was no one. He really hoped nobody heard his scream, and it was simply just Giordano, the butler of the mansion, passing by.

The door creaked open slightly, as a worried voice called his name with uncertainty. "Mukuro?" It was Daemon. Mukuro didn't say anything in response, though he couldn't help but feel slightly relieved in a sense. "Are you feeling alright?" Daemon questioned, a frown plastered over his face as he stared at the boy under the sheets in concern.

"I'm fine. Go away." Mukuro said shortly, as Daemon narrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Were you having a nightmare or something?" Daemon asked, as Mukuro opened his eyes and glared at Daemon, though he knew that since he was under the sheets, Daemon couldn't see his expression. "No." Mukuro replied, as Daemon scowled a little, as he started to close the door. "Alright then. I was just wondering because…" Daemon trailed off. _Because of that terrifying mist flames that were suddenly unleashed. It was definitely Mukuro's, but is it possible for such a young boy to possess such powerful mist flames? Well, he is my descendant but… _Daemon's thoughts were interfered quietly by Mukuro's request. "Can you go now?" The boy whispered a little, as Daemon nodded and closed the door.

The mist guardian yawned, as he walked down the dark corridor again, the small candle dimly lighting the vicinity also with small warmth. Daemon rubbed the back of his neck a bit as he glanced at the door to Mukuro's room again, and then just shook his head and turned away. The mist guardian noticed that he indeed looked similar to Mukuro when he put his hair down at night – if he changed his hairstyle to Mukuro's they would possibly look horribly alike.

The mist guardian continued to walk, his long sleeved button down shirt hanging loose on his shoulders, and his black silk pants a little too long for him as they got dragged on the floor as he was walking bare foot.

"Daemon." The mist guardian almost dropped the candle in surprise, as he balanced back into the holder in his hand. He scowled and turned back at the person who called his name so suddenly without presence, and attempted to take a small revenge by summoning his illusions, until he noticed that it was Giotto and the rest of the guardians. Daemon slightly wondered – firstly, why were all the Vongola guardians awake at such a time, secondly, why couldn't he notice their presence when they were right behind him, and lastly, why were they all looking so confused and concerned? Daemon really couldn't understand what was possibly going on.

"Sorry if we surprised you. We just heard your voice and I think one of the kids screamed a little, yes? Or more like it sounded like a shout to me. Was it Mukuro?" Giotto questioned, and Daemon hesitated a little, before nodding once. Giotto didn't say anything for a while, as he observed his mist guardian very closely. The blonde smirked as he opened his mouth again. "You were worried, weren't you, Daemon?" Daemon glared at his boss as he tried to retort, but closed his mouth again, remembering the fact that the kids were asleep, and he needed to keep his voice down. "I just went to check on him because…" Daemon paused, thinking whether he should tell Giotto about the mist flames or not. He decided to go against the idea, because he wanted to keep it a secret at the moment. Of course, Giotto would notice with his Intuition, but it was worth it. "Because I was just curious what got into the cold lad."

G snorted. "Yeah, right. That's why you couldn't even sense us approaching you just now, and couldn't hear us calling you like three times before Giotto had to call your name out for the fourth time." Daemon's face reddened a little in embarrassment as he gripped the handle of his holder a little tighter.

_He's hiding something… but well, I guess I will leave it… Mukuro isn't my descendant to take care of, and… _Giotto smiled slightly as he heard G and Daemon argue in whispers. _He seems to be doing fine with them. Though Mukuro can be a little worrisome, it will be fine, I suppose… And since Elena is coming in 4 days, it'll be fine, I suppose. _

"Well, what exactly did happen to Mukuro-kun?" Asari questioned, and Daemon flinched a little as he averted his eyes elsewhere, and then mumbled. "He was having… a nightmare. He didn't tell me what it was about, though." Knuckle tilted his head to the side. It was quite odd – because Mukuro didn't seem to be the type to be overwhelmed by mere dreams. But again, Giotto did say that his mental state was rather unpredictable – that they should be keeping an eye on them.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with his so called past?" Lampo shrugged a little, as Giotto thought about this idea a little, considering the idea. In truth, he couldn't but agree more with his Lightning guardian. It was the only option that Mukuro seemed to be bewildered about and feared of – no matter how much he tried to cover the fact up.

"It's probably that. But we'll need observe him more… and of course, the other kids as well – the shouldn't be an exception from our… well, investigation process." Giotto sighed lightly, as Alaude frowned. "Investigation, you say. It's rather like we're just digging up their personal information behind their backs." All the guardians flinched a little awkwardly at the cloud guardian's sharp remark. "You don't need to be too straightforward about it…" Lampo scratched his head nervously.

"I can just see their expressions when they find out who we are to them, and what we are doing right now in order to find out about their identity. It's really hard to read them, so the only way is to observe their actions a little or to eavesdrop on what some of the knowledgeable ones are talking about, but even that is way more challenging than I thought." G folded his arms as he leaned on the wall.

"They are kids after all. People say kids are rather easy to read, but didn't you hear? Some adults say that kids are way more better than kids at hiding their feelings, they are sometimes exceptionally skilled at lying, and are way more cunning that normal adults think they can be." Daemon responded, repeating what his friend said to him when he was young.

"It makes it harder to find out about them and approach them when they're blocking us out in such a manner. Especially when some are just making it so obvious that they are going through a serious problem and matter, but they don't try to share it to anyone else except themselves." Giotto nodded, as he looked up at his guardians.

"Let's talk about this tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"We have something ask Hibari."

**THE NEXT DAY, DAY 11…**

Giotto was the first one to wake up in the morning again, as he walked down to the dining room soon after. Breakfast was completed in silence, the kids putting on different expressions. Some seemed to be more used to the routine, looking comfortable the way they were staying. Mukuro looked tired, his face a little pale as he played with his food a little, drawing circles on the meat with his fork. Finally, he walked out of the room, after finishing the vegetables but not eating the meat stew. Gokudera sipped a little of the warm broth, and then walked out as well, looking uncomfortable with his surroundings as he disappeared behind the doors. Hibari's seat was empty – as he always went elsewhere during meal times, though his breakfast was always prepared for him.

"I don't know why those three always miss out on meals." Ryohei started very quietly, keeping his voice down. "It's been almost half a month since we arrived here, but they seem to be the only ones violating the daily schedule with their own behavior. Not to mention that they don't even seem to have the intention of growing any closer to the lot." G was slightly surprised at the sharp remark the boy made – being Knuckle's descendant, the boy seemed to be a little more depressed and honest, as well as straightforward. The kids often startled the adults in some ways how they seemed to be so similar to them, yet possessed opposite elements.

Lampo tapped his plate with his fork a little, and then opened his mouth to speak. "It's not even very fresh or new anymore. It's rather sad how they don't try to interact with others except themselves. Almost as if they are attempting to escape from some unknown existence that isn't there, but fails because they think it is indeed there." Giotto noticed it was a pretty specific description, as if the lightning guardian planned through the whole sentence, but didn't say anything in particular.

"It's a shame they miss out on a such a nice meal. It's not like we get to eat these kinds of food every single day." Lambo didn't seem to notice that he used to term 'we', which the Vongola guardians assumed that he was talking about him and Gokudera. The only thing Giotto was aware of those two boys were that they shared a brotherly bond and friendship, and lived on the streets for as long as the younger one could remember. And probably Gokudera lived a few years longer in the location than Lambo did.

Yamamoto nodded at the comment. "I think I would agree with that. Even where me and Tsuna stay don't provide such high quality dishes. Of course, the food over here tastes rather different and odd than what we have in our orphanage, in our time – and since it's traditional Italian food, I have to admit I am not used to the meals they give here yet. But it's still way better than what we have to eat everyday." The boy said, pushing the meat stew into his mouth. Giotto's eyes widened slightly at the new discovery he just made and noticed. _An orphanage… so this means that Tsuna and Yamamoto-kun add to the number of kids who are orphans among our descendants…_ G seemed to be bothered by the fact, so did the other guardians as they threw Giotto uncomfortable expressions.

Taking the chance, Asari decided to dig further into the topic, though with extreme sensitivity and care. "Do you mind telling us a little more about the orphanage, Takeshi?" Yamamoto seemed to contemplate about this certain question thrown at him without rush. The boy's lips tightened at the corners, as he glanced at Tsuna, who was blinking, slowly chewing the food stuffed in his cheeks. _Will it be ok…? No, these people are being honest with themselves. They might care. They might… _Yamamoto sighed lightly, as he looked up again, and spoke carefully, his expression rather serious.

"The orphanage… well, it would be better to start with the specifics. The orphanage me and Tsuna were sent to was located in a deserted area of the current day Japan. Somewhere in Chiba, as far as I know, though I understand that none of you will be aware of where the place is." Yamamoto started, as the other kids just listened, trying to relate. "It was old. The building itself was constructed about 50 years ago, made with rusty wood, looking as if it was about to collapse into a pile of dust. Of course, I didn't meet Tsuna at the orphanage right away – it was about a month later when he arrived." Yamamoto paused, wondering whether he was supposed to continue or not.

"And?" Knuckle tugged on the topic gently, his expression soft and kind. Yamamoto, calmed by the reaction, nodded. "The orphanage, as I expected, was under the hands of a man who didn't really care of what happened to the kids living in the building. He hated wasting his money on the welfare of lost children – saying that when he was young, some orphans didn't even get to be sent to an orphanage or so. The food was rotten and wasn't in the condition to eat at most times, and the water looked polluted. Clean water was provided on Sundays, and the teachers often used the excuse of saying it was too much money to be spent, to feed all kids with good water and food everyday." Giotto twitched a little. He didn't know about the currency or money problems in future Japan – but could it be _that _challenging to provide kids such simple necessities? Surely some bread and water couldn't hurt.

Yamamoto bit his bottom lip, as he clenched his fists a little. The kids glanced at the talking boy nervously – each seemed to be thinking about their own pasts – and the exact same future that was approaching in a rather fearful speed. Ryohei's eyes searched for nothing in particular, as his mind swirled around as if terrible turbulence was about to occur in his head. Chrome stared at Yamamoto, and then the empty seat of Mukuro as she put on a sullen expression. Lambo, who would usually finish all his food on the plate, just traced the last piece of broccoli on his platter, as if he lost the last of his appetite. Tsuna just shivered a little time to time, remembering the poor treatment of the orphanage. He didn't want to return to such a place.

"I think that's enough." Giotto said quietly, observing the negative reaction of the kids. He knew better than to continue with the following topic – he was aware of the fact that if they went any further, the kids wouldn't be able to hold it, and in some cases, some will fall in terror and break. Giotto didn't want to pressure the kids into talking. He knew that doing such a thing would only show a pessimistic outcome, even without his Hyper Intuition. The blonde stood up, and smiled. "You kids should go out and play a little. I think there is going to be no weather problems until noon or so, or that's what Giordano told me. Old people are usually right about those stuff. Just make sure to not go out of the mansion gates, since it's dangerous, alright? I don't know what it would've been like in the future, but Italy isn't one of those countries where kids like you lot should be exposed in the streets without any older accompaniment. Understood?" Giotto grinned a little, as the kids nodded, and then ran out with excited looks plastered over their faces.

Staring at their childish descendants, G smirked and shrugged a little, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. "I'm glad that those five still have hope of opening up to us and even possibly recovering. They don't seem to be saturated in depression and tragic thoughts, unlike… the other three." The storm guardian took note, reminding himself that his descendant was one of them. Alaude didn't say anything, as Daemon just averted his eyes elsewhere.

"Let's go up to the library for now. Since the kids seem to be outside, we would be able to talk a little more openly." Giotto suggested, as the guardians made their way out of the dining room and up the wide staircase of their mansion. On their way going up, Lampo noticed Gokudera walking in the hallway alone, looking confused and horrified of something. He thought of approaching the boy, but pushed the thought forcefully to the side, knowing that if he interfered, the situation would worsen in such a way that couldn't be recovered.

Asari's eyes widened a little as he spotted Hibari sitting in the middle of the room, leaning on the bookshelf, reading a book about… it seemed to be a very ancient book written a long time ago – Asari attempted to read the book, as the cover was rather fancy and attractive – it was red velvet, laced with gold and silver around the edges. No title was printed in front or the back, and Asari thought about checking it out for a while, but his attention soon focused elsewhere as he found the book he wanted to read. After that, he never remembered the book again, and never cared less about it. Hibari scowled as he quickly closed the book and pushed it to an empty space in the bookshelf, and stood up, as if he was trying to escape from Giotto and the others.

Seeing this, Giotto opened his mouth, trying to keep the boy in the room. "Hibari-kun, if you won't mind, we would like to talk to you for a bit." _It wasn't my plan to talk to him right now, but I guess it would be fine. _Giotto thought to himself, as Hibari scowled cautiously, thinking of all the possibilities of what the man's intentions were. The boy was rather cunning and quick at reading others, which supported him from falling into invisible traps of new people that he didn't know of. And he was once again prepared to protect himself, and even maybe go against Giotto and the others.

"I do mind, just simply saying." Hibari replied shortly, as he took a step back and then unconsciously glanced back at the book he just put away and bit his lip. Giotto frowned as he noticed the boy's actions, and took a personal note to go through that book later. "I don't like talking to herbi- adults." Hibari replaced his words, reminding himself that Giotto and his guardians weren't exactly weak.

"It's a short matter, and it wouldn't even be about you." G grunted, rolling his eyes, wondering how similar could the boy get to his platinum blonde comrade. "It's about Mukuro – that fellow friend of yours." Hibari glared at the elder man. "We aren't friends of any sort. We just know each other." G shrugged, giving an expression that said: 'This or that, it's the same thing.'

"Would you be able to tell us what the Lab is?" Knuckle asked with little curiosity – he wasn't exactly interested in the specifics of the Lab, but he figured it was an essential piece of information in order to find out a little more about their pasts. Hibari's eyes narrowed a little, as he regretted the fact that he talked about the matter a little too openly with Mukuro. At the time, he easily reached to the decision that the adults wouldn't care, and that's why they discussed about it.

"How is this beneficial to any of you?" Hibari folded his arms, leaning on the smooth wall. Lampo was slightly scared at the resemblance he could spot almost immediately between the boy and Alaude. "Even if I do explain the Lab to you, you wouldn't even be able to understand a single thing what I'm talking about, and as far as I know, it wouldn't help you take a step closer to the growth of your power and strength." Hibari tilted his head to the side, expressionless.

Giotto raised his eyebrows. "Power and strength? What do you mean? I don't think I am comprehending your words as well as you want me to, Hibari." Hibari glared at the blonde as he opened his mouth again. He hated talking and vocalizing his thoughts and feelings so openly, but he knew that he was kind of cornered, and in order to escape, all he could do was to fulfill their hungry desires towards knowledge.

"That's what all adults want and live for. No, more easily phrased – that's what all hungry animals of every generation crave for, isn't it? Wealth, Power, Strength, and being able to be recognized as an existence that can't be destroyed by anything." Hibari paused, and then smirked, as if he was too used to the pattern. "What are you people any different from those beings? The people who want know about the Lab are spread across the whole world. They want the specimens, their inventions, and every single thing the Lab possesses because they know it would be beneficial in some kind of way to them." Hibari stared at Giotto and his guardians. Alaude frowned, noticing that his descendant knew a little too much about the world for his age. "So answer me, Vongola, how is pulling out the information about the Lab beneficial to you?"

Giotto scowled. "You know that we're the Vongola? I am pretty sure we never really mentioned our identity in front of you guys… or did we?" the blonde questioned himself quietly, as Hibari shrugged. "I just do. I know more than you think, Giotto Ieyasu Sawada, the Vongola Primo." The boy replied, as Giotto's eyes widened, as his full name was mentioned. "People say Vongola was originally a vigilante Famiglia that was created in order to protect people… but I don't exactly believe that." Hibari concluded, his voice cold and chilly from beginning to end.

"Then please answer this, Hibari-kun." Giotto started calmly, as Hibari frowned. "Mukuro-kun is also related to the Lab, isn't he?" Hibari replied with mere silence. "Did this Lab… happen to destroy his mental state? Or forced something upon him that brought him to his current unstable condition?" Giotto asked, and Hibari seemed to be thinking whether he was supposed to explain this or not. Finally, he reached a firm decision.

"I wouldn't expose the pineapple's past with my own mouth. It's not like I owe him or anything, but it's also true that it isn't my position to tell his life story. That's what he has to do." Hibari responded, which slightly confused the guardians. "However, even though that pineapple does explain something to you lot, there is a possibility that he isn't explaining the 'truth'. Of course, the pineapple will think that is the truth for his case, because that's what has been tattooed inside his head due to the scientists. And I know all the truths to all the lies he's been told. That's all I will say for now." Hibari shrugged, as Giotto frowned. He noticed that Hibari seemed to be very knowledgeable in the case of Mukuro's past – in fact, from what he had just said, he seemed to know more about it than Mukuro himself.

"Can you might as well give us a small hint?" Daemon pleaded, as Hibari stopped and then looked up at the man. Then he shrugged, decided that it wouldn't hurt. "The pineapple has a family member who is still alive. I'm pretty sure his parents sold him to a Slave Trading Center with his sibling because they were short on money, and furthermore, they didn't care about the welfare or their own kids. Mukuro stayed with his sibling for a while, until the latter was sold first, and Mukuro was left alone – and then soon after sold to the Lab. As far as I know, the Lab brainwashed Mukuro a little, erasing a part of his memories, including the memory about his sibling." Hibari then continued to walk away, as G frowned.

"How do you know so much about him?"

Hibari paused for a while. And then murmured something.

"It's my job."

Then he walked away again.

**MEANWHILE, IN THE FUTURE…**

"Is the bazooka done yet?" Byakuran urged impatiently, as his subordinates put on different expressions – mostly looking pained by the fact that they needed to deal with this for a little more than half a month, until the material was ready to be used. "Sho-chan and Span-chan are taking too long for their own good… there is a reason they were scouted and chosen as the technicians of my Famiglia and yet-"

"Please, calm down Byakuran-sama." Gingerbread commented, his voice calm and soothing. His eyes were covered with a white uniform cap, as Byakuran glared at the boy. "Irie and Spanner are trying their best to complete the bazooka in the satisfactory time, Byakuran-sama. You can't order them to do the impossible." Gingerbread nodded, as Byakuran growled a little.

Rasiel, who has been listening carefully next to the two, pushed into the conversation to support Gingerbread. "That is right, Byakuran-sama. I know that you want the descendants of Vongola back into your hands as fast as possible, and I can totally relate and understand your feelings right now." The male smirked a little. "However, Byakuran-sama, how nice will it be? The longer the time they would get to rest in peace, the more they will heal again. Imagine the thrill and fun, Byakuran-sama! What's the fun in breaking dolls that are already broken? It would be more suspenseful and exciting if you gain the chance to break their hopes completely once again, just after they are healed. Show them that you are the king of everything, Byakuran-sama." Rasiel used the best of his persuasive vocabulary, calming down the boss. Fortunately, his cunning methods worked magically, and Byakuran looked up at the ceiling with a small smile.

"Yes, Rasiel, thank you for reminding me of the fun. Ah, breaking dolls, you said? That's so perfectly phrased that I can't possibly replace the words with my own." Byakuran spread his hand open, staring into his palm as he squeezed them, and laughed hysterically for a while. He stopped and eased down, as he gazed out the window and viewed the tall buildings and the busy roads that were filled with people beneath. Adults were heading out for work, and the kids were walking to school. _Do you blame me for not allowing those kids happiness like other kids their age, father? Those innocent kids who have done nothing wrong to gain my hate – and couldn't do anything about the blood flowing restlessly inside their small and fragile bodies? _The man thought as he took a closer look at the view outside.

_However father, you have failed to become a father to me, a role model I could follow. You didn't give me the royal seat of the Vongola Decimo, when I was your son – I was the son – the genius and intelligent son of Vongola Nono. You were the one that rejected me father, saying that I didn't have the right to become Vongola's next boss. Instead, you claimed that… that small brunette would receive the throne. _Byakuran closed his eyes. _You rejected me father, you ignored my existence, and this will be my reply to your actions._

_Cry in vain, the kids of Vongola._

**End of chapter.**

**Ok, so yes, a lot is happening at the very final portion of this chapter. For those who are confused, then here is the simplest explanation I can provide to you. Byakuran is the blood-related son of Vongola Nono, but was rejected by his father, and the seat of the Vongola Decimo that would originally go to him, was passed to Tsuna instead. Byakuran, enraged by this, plans a rebellion and creates a Famiglia of his own, which is the Millefiore Famiglia. He succeeds in almost destroying the Vongola, and now he plans to exterminate the next generation of Vongola Decimo and his soon-to-be guardians. However, Byakuran's story wouldn't end here. And yes, Byakuran does have series of episodes about his past that would be explained further throughout the story.**

**A little about the kids' pasts were revealed too; Mukuro, Yamamoto, Tsuna, and Hibari, to be specific. Hibari's words were rather confusing, and I understand, but this will explained later as well. I will be having fun reading your reviews as you guys try to predict what Hibari's 'job' is today, I suppose.**

**Replies:**

**VongolAddiction – Thank you; it's nice to hear that I'm doing well as an author.**

**Zhizn214 – Ah, I see, I understand – it did leave people hanging. Was this chapter satisfactory though? I know that my chapters leave everything hanging, but I try my best to resolve some bothersome issues. However for now, I guess I can't help it. Thank you, though.**

**Natsu Yuuki – I hope I can write a scene where Gokudera gets along with the others soon as well. Thanks for the encouragement.**

**Alexia Hellsing – Haha, I can relate – I like Hibari and Mukuro too. Maybe that's why I am starting with their pasts first… well, it's also for the flow of the story, so well, I am glad you like it.**

**Knightcross – My plan is to get Hibari and Mukuro and Gokudera to get closer to each other first, yes. They will blend in soon as well, and I'm glad that you are enjoying the chapters. I will try my best to satisfy you, as well as other readers.**

**Makubex000 – The problems will continue to arise… but they will be resolved soon enough, and the clouds will clear, yes. Thanks for the review.**

**Guest 1 – I did reveal some of their pasts as you wished to the best of my limit for now, and yes, Hibari, Mukuro, and Gokudera would be closer for now, as the other 5 grows closer to one another as well. I am glad you enjoyed the chapter – I also enjoyed reading your review.**

**AngeliqueSora – in the case of the first generation and Byakuran's interactions, I can't fully explain them right now at the moment, but they would be explained soon enough. And well, Chrome and Mukuro… I hope you figured something out by reading this chapter.**

**Beatrix – Thank you for the exciting and encouraging review. It delighted me in many ways. Here is another update, and I hope you liked it.**

**Until my next update,**

**~Rica~**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_**16XX, MAY 23**__**RD**__**, DAY 14**_**…**

"Isn't it today?"

Asari suddenly said out of nowhere. All the guardians, including Giotto, who was concentrating on his leftover paperwork (which really, he had a week to complete, but G urged him to hurry up and do it before Daemon and Alaude breaks something else) turned to the swordsman, who just blinked for a while. "What do you mean," G frowned, lowering his morning paper. "Today? Is something that I don't know of happening today?"

Daemon snapped his fingers, as if he finally knew what was going on. "Ah, how could I forget?" The illusionist seemed to be oddly delighted – and that's how the rest of the guardians noticed the true meaning behind the words. "My dear Elena was coming back today! She was supposed to come three days ago, but it got delayed because she was invited to join some kind of tea party with some other women." G snorted, as he said, "Yeah, right, tea party. Women just love those stuff. What's so good about eating cakes, sitting around and talking about the latest gossip?"

"Well, if you view it in that way, then the women will say why do men focus on hunting and horses so much. Do you know the expression Elena makes when Knuckle and G used to discuss about whether street boxing was better, shooting matches in the alleys were more productive? She looked like she wanted to escape her current situation and hide in a hole." Giotto commented remarkably, as G rolled his eyes in response. "Though, I got to admit, I never saw the point in tea parties. It's quite a waste of money, I think."

"Enough about tea parties. The great thing is that firstly, we will have one more helpful supporter that will stand on our side to observe the kids. Elena is brilliant with children, isn't she? I think she might be able to help with the more stuck up ones." Lampo said, as the other guardians nodded in fair agreement. The 7 males were doing the best they could, but males and females could be two different figures to children. Furthermore, during the past 4 days, the adults noticed – that almost all of the children seemed to have a small fear towards males. To be specific, males who were rather tall (In which, all the Vongola guardians were) and around their mid-twenties to whatever age. Some just didn't seem to be fond with the existence of adults at all – like Lambo, Tsuna, or Mukuro.

"It's hard without a female, I admit." Knuckle nodded unconsciously at his own remark. "And Elena could be an excellent mother figure. She is gentle, kind, and in ways, cherubic. I just hope that at least some of the kids would grow a liking to her." The other guardians didn't reply for a while, until Giotto put his ink pen down and spoke. "Though, I wonder…" The blonde paused. "My Hyper Intuition has been telling me for the past few days that one of the kids is rather… no, actually, I just have bad feeling. Whether it's about the kids or not, I don't know."

"Now that you mention it, boss," Daemon hummed as he tapped the handle of his armchair rhythmically against the fine wood. "Isn't it odd?" Giotto frowned in a questioning manner. "I'm wondering, whether those kids were pulled into our time by mere random choices. There are hundreds and I hope not, but probably trillions or whatever number of children the future have – that would be suffering poverty, human trafficking, and slavery – though it might look different. And out of all those children on this planet… even if they are our descendants, there is no exact guarantee that they are our only descendants, right?" Daemon trailed off, as Alaude continued. "8 children, all from one country – namely Japan – that all possess our facial features, and have some kind of connection and relation with the future Vongola." The platinum blonde concluded, as the illusionist nodded.

Giotto hesitated a little before responding. "I have taken that certain fact into consideration. It's too… too fitting to be a coincidence, or just some evil act of fate. There must be a reason they were transported here. Not just because they are our direct descendants – I bet we have more than just one descendant each. And furthermore…" Giotto narrowed his eyebrows. "My Hyper Intuition tells me… that those kids are all unconsciously escaping from something. Something…" the blonde trailed off aimlessly. "Something," he paused, before he continued. "Some disastrous existence that are obviously traumatizing them, and connecting all of them at the same time."

"Your Intuition, huh." Lampo mumbled. "Well, I'm not sure if this will help, but the other day, I saw Gokudera-kun mumbling the same word repeatedly under his breath fearfully. It started with a B…" Lampo fumbled through his messed up memories, all jumbled and mixed. "Byakuran." Lampo snapped his fingers. "Presto. It was Byakuran." The Vongola Family scowled a little, all wondering at the same time, what kind of name – or whatever it meant – could be. Byakuran? That was an odd name, really.

"Well, well, what could be going on while I was gone from our 7 handsome young men?"

A new voice intruded the small office, as the guardians instantly turned towards the entrance – some looking at the newcomer in confusion, and some recognizing the melodious voice almost immediately. And in which, some simply didn't take notice nor cared. Elena, the illusionist's so-called girlfriend was standing in the doorway, her beautiful navy dress fitting her small and thin figure in an elegant manner. Daemon kissed her on the cheek, as she kissed him back. Lampo twitched in disgust, though it was a scene he was already supposed to be used to.

"Welcome back, Elena." Giotto smiled, greeting her with a warm hug. "It's nice to have you again. Really, we were thinking what we will do without you right now. Your help is greatly necessary at the moment, and he want you to help us in every way possible." The blonde intoned, and the female tilted her head to the side with curiosity. "And what could this important matter be, Giotto? It's quite a rare sight to see _you_ lose your calm, hm?" Giotto flushed at the comment, but cleared his throat before starting.

"Well, you see…" Asari started, but trailed off, as if he didn't exactly know how to continue. They had so much to explain. The kids, their pasts, their connections with one another, and their goal at the moment. G rolled his eyes, as he decided to give a hand. "We kind of… decided to take care of these kids. 8 kids, to provide a specific number. And that sounds all great and normal, until-"

"Until," Giotto coughed a little. "You notice that they are from the future, they are your descendants that come from 400 years after our time, and they look exactly like us – and it just happens that in the world they live in, Vongola isn't exactly existing for good reasons." Elena looked really confused. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to ask something, and then closed it again, and repeated this a few times, before she finally found her voice. "So… our descendants?" She questioned, and Daemon shrugged. "I'm assuming… that you and I had some kids." Elena threw Daemon a stern look, and then turned back to the others.

"So, what about our descendants?" Elena questioned, frowning. "I'm guessing, seeing how you mentioned the future Vongola over there… that the future Vongola family was possibly a bad influence to some of them?" Giotto shrugged a little, glad that the female was catching up quickly. "That is what seemed to be happening. Some have unstable mental states, and some dislike direct physical approach. Some don't try to cooperate at all, and those are the ones who know who we are." Elena nodded, and the tilted her head to the side as she spotted Hibari jumping over the gate outside. "Oh, I suppose that one is one of them? Looks just like our Alaude, that boy." Elena murmured, as Alaude grunted. "He's my descendant. I expect no more from a boy of my blood."

"Well, well… is that so." Elena nodded, as she stared at Hibari run out swiftly and rather quietly, considering that he was well, really just running on one dusty, and rocky road. "He doesn't look very welcoming, does he?" G clucked his tongue, as Elena didn't respond. "He's Alaude's descendant after all. I couldn't have expected an all smiley-happy child. That would be quite… well, it would be shocking, for one, and he would be interesting to take care of." She said, shrugging.

"Take care of?" Knuckle raised his eyebrows. "We are only taking them in for a month. Actually, we now have… about 2 more weeks. In that short amount of time, we are going to try to get them as close to us as possible, and convince them that they indeed don't need to go through to difficulties of returning to their original universe. In which, if they do, I would be very unimpressed by their short-minded decision." The priest sighed lightly, as he tapped on his bible that was sitting on his lap.

"I'd say…" Lampo mumbled. "It's not half bad if they just go back." The other guardians glared scornfully at the lightning guardian. "I was joking, geez. Chill, people." Lampo said defensively, as Giotto frowned and averted his attention elsewhere. "Though," the green head continued quietly, "It's harsh to say, but I am having a hard time, personally, to get along with any of them. Sure, it's my descendant, and there is fault in me – or the future me that obviously wanted a family tree – didn't take care of my children and warned them about the Vongola, so on and so forth. But my responsibility, at the same time, only can stretch until my grandchildren at the longest. It's not my fault if the other descendants create conflict, or are in a troubled situation." Lampo paused, trying to be honest, and finding it hard at the same time. "Maybe the reason I feel sorry for that Lambo boy is not because he is my descendant, but just out of pity. It's challenging to love and help a child of my blood, when I just saw him 2 weeks ago and he doesn't even respond to my questions or answers. They just aren't…" Lampo searched desperately for the suitable word. "Lovable."

The guardians went silent. G was the first one to reply. "I… will have to agree with that." He paused, as he lighted a cigar in his hand and walked towards the window and creaked it open. "It's hard to help kids like that. I know children stuck up and secretive. I know what it feels like to be left out, and to be mistreated by elders at that age. Because I experienced it. I can relate with their sorrow and everything, but at that time, I didn't take it very… well, seriously, I guess. I overcame it. But those kids," G sighed. "Aren't just about sitting around in the streets and all. They all have some kind of weird past, except the few that don't even seem to remember what happened to them at all."

Heavy silence fell upon the room, as words of truth and honesty were thrown and bounced at all of their minds. Finally, Elena stood up. "I will go check on the kids who are currently in the mansion then. If I roam around, there is a high possibility that I will at least see one or two of them, right?" The female shrugged a little, as the guardians nodded as she walked out. Elena sighed as she closed to door behind her, and whispered. "Males are so stuck up, aren't they?" She walked down the long corridor, glancing at the locked wooden doors, trying to hear the sound of talking kids.

She paused in front of the library, staring at the closed room. If there was a room that the kids could be in, there was a pretty fair percentage that they would be in the library – because it had a lot fun material that kids could enjoy, than other rooms around the mansion. The female turned the doorknob a little, as she heard a loud creak in the process of doing so. A few kids were staring back at her – and Elena could easily tell who's descendant was who's. There were a total of 5 kids in the room – 4 boys and 1 girl.

"Who are you, Miss?" Lambo asked quietly, as Elena smiled, thinking how the little boy resembled Lampo so much. She ruffled the boy's hair a little, as Lambo frowned at the sudden touch. "My name is Elena." One girl looked up, and Elena easily recognized that it must be Daemon's child. "I heard of you." Chrome muttered. "Daemon-san talks about you a lot. He seems to like you very much." She continued, as Elena laughed very lightly, her voice melodious and high. "Is that so? That's very sweet of him." She glanced at the other 3 kids – presumably the descendants of Giotto, Asari, and Knuckle.

"So," Elena started, as Lambo escaped from her ruffling hands. "What are your names, dearies?" The kids seemed to be suspicious about her identity. Elena could easily tell that they weren't very open, and definitely didn't trust people very well. But she also had a feeling that the real challenges of talking to weren't the 5 kids in front of her – but the leftover 3 kids of G, Alaude, and… who could be the other one? Probably another one of the guardians. "Of course, you don't need to tell me if you prefer telling me later on. That's totally fine with me. I don't feel like forcing you sweethearts into saying anything." The kids seem to look quite startled, in a way. Elena silently nodded to herself, confirming her hypothesis correct. As she thought, these kids didn't have a very bright past as she was told, and they were also used to following another person's orders. They were also used to being forced to do something, and satisfying another adult – which was presumably why they were afraid of adults in the first place.

"My name is Lambo." Finally, the youngest boy said in a hesitant manner. "Just Lambo." Elena smiled, and nodded. "That's a wonderful name. Suits you very well." Lambo's face flushed. Nobody had ever told him that his name was wonderful, nor suited him well. It was just a name after all. It couldn't be that special. And yet, this woman whom he just met that day, was saying all this. For some reason, Lambo found it hard to accept at once, but he decided it didn't feel so bad to hear such a compliment.

"My name is Chrome. Nice to meet you, um, Elena-san." Elena chuckled quietly, as she patted the girl's back. "No need for the honorifics, honey. And Chrome, you said? A brilliant name as well! Oh, and you look very cute like that, sweetie." Elena smiled at the girl, and Chrome instantly blushed furiously. All she ever heard her whole life after waking up on a hospital bed with no memories at all, was…

"_She doesn't have an eye?"_

"_Terrible…"_

"_She came from a slave center…"_

"_No memories at all…"_

"_The explosion…"_

"_No family found…"_

Chrome shivered very slightly, as she touched her eye patch. She didn't want the words to 'consume' her again. She couldn't let the words possess her again. Then she would be called a monster again. She would lose her identity, she wouldn't be able to remember anything. The only thing she could hear from other people after waking up from her small, short-term coma, was that she came from a Slave Trading Center, and on the way she was being sold, the police force found the truck her and the other slaves were being transported in, and the men, not wanting to be arrested, shot the engine of the truck with their gun and the truck exploded. Most of the kids died in the fierce explosion, and Chrome lost her eye and her organs lost it's purpose and shut down. Even so, there was one couple that adopted her out of pity. However, they also didn't know what to do about her. They took her to another hospital, but they couldn't afford the money for an organ transplant, or even an artificial eye. In the end, they just really lost interest in her and left her alone. Chrome didn't know how they were still not sending her to the orphanage. That was all she knew about herself.

However, sometimes, she would always have a dream. She would be lying down on a bed, and someone would be always holding her hand as she closed her eyes. Everytime, she couldn't see the person's face, but she could hear the soft and gentle voice that would always whisper to her. She had been having the dream even more often after she had been transported to the past. The voice was always soothing, and calming. But now that she was staying in an unknown mansion, you couldn't help but think that she heard a voice similar to that one in her dream. Chrome closed her eyes as Elena talked to the other boys.

"_Good night, Nagi."_

_**MEANWHILE…**_

Hibari sighed, as he leaned on the wall behind him. He glanced at the people who were busily walking around the streets, as carriages drove past him, dust blocking his sight as they did so. Occasionally, a clumsy lady or male would drop their leftover coins, and Hibari would pick them up and buy lunch with that, if he got enough. He opened his hand stared at how much he collected today. Not much. A few silver coins shined in his sweaty palm, as he sighed, deciding that he would just have to get something from the mansion. Or just have nothing at all. He had several options, really.

He stood up, and stretched his arms. He glanced at the sun, seeing that it was slowly starting to go down. He stared at it for a while, deciding that it was soon time that he would have to give his reports. But not now. He still had time, and until then, he didn't plan to do anything. He stared at the small material that he always held beneath his coat. He sometimes wondered why the Millefiore forces could just transport with the bazooka he possessed of. But always, Iris would tell him, that his bazooka had a limited number of people it would transport people, and therefore it would be unusable to the Millefiore forces. Byakuran had agreed with this.

_This is such a pain._ Hibari thought, and then reminded himself that this was his job. The boy was strong for his age, but was still weak compared to the whole Millefiore forces. He was sold to the mafia, and then bought. And all he did was really, digging up about the Vongola Famiglia, and it's allied forces. Or rather, all the mafia Famiglias that were once allied with the Vongola, but all changed directions into supporting the Millefiore instead. The only remaining Famiglias were the Cavallone and Shimon.

"_Ne, Kyoya-chan." Byakuran smiled. "Do you know the reason why I didn't kill you, even though you were literally the only direct blood-related descendant of Alaude?" Hibari frowned, as he stood in front of the sly boss. He didn't respond, however, because he knew the answer would soon come anyways. "And yet I hate all the people or children who bear the Vongola's blood." The man said bitterly, as Hibari listened. The boy hated the boss. But what could he do? Nothing._

"_You are more than just useful, Kyoya-chan." The man chuckled, as he opened his eyes. "That's why I assigned you the job of looking after the boy Rasiel brought from the Slave Trading Center." Byakuran leaned back, as Hibari twitched a little, a chill running down his spine as Byakuran stared into his eyes intimidatingly. _

"_You are just one of my dolls, Kyoya-chan. One of dolls that I succeeded in breaking."_

Broke? A broken doll? Hibari smirked, as he looked up at the now orange sky. He sighed, staring at the silver coins he was clutching ever so dearly in his hands, as if the small circular object could save him from his current situation. He stood up and took out his upgraded bazooka he had received from Spanner, one of the ace technicians of the Millefiore Famiglia. It was still far from complete, and there was a limited amount of transportations he could make. Hibari was ordered to test it out, because it was supposed to transport him to the past. He was surprised that Mukuro was there as well, but he simply thought it was the doing of the Lab. That was why he asked the boy naturally about the Lab, pretending he had no idea why they were there. Everything was not very unexpected, though he was a little startled because all the direct descendants of the Vongola Famiglia were appearing.

_Just a few more weeks, and I will be going back to the Millefiore fully, doing my job. _Then the boy paused a little, before he inserted his body into the bazooka. _However, is that really what I want? _He sighed, shaking his head, as he dropped the bazooka, as he disappeared from sight, only leaving a puff of pink smoke.

The word freedom wasn't in Hibari Kyoya's dictionary.

_**BACK TO THE VONGOLA MANSION…**_

"I think Elena is doing fine with the kids. Pretty impressively, in my opinion." G closed the door behind him, as Giotto nodded, silently signing the sheets of paperwork. "I also heard from Talbot that he is halfway through completing the machine needed in order to get the kids back to the future." Giotto paused, as he sighed, massaging his temples. "Am I…" The blonde mumbled. "Weird, if I somehow don't want them to go?" G frowned, as he stared at his best friend in distress. He walked over to his desk, and didn't respond for a while, as he turned and slumped down on one of the couches.

"Not really. I have seen how much progress you have made with that Tsunayoshi kid. It was a little, but he seems to like you. That's an improvement, as he hardly tried to start a conversation on the first day, just like all the other kids." G stared up at the ceiling a little, and then glanced at Giotto. The room was rather dimly lit, because there was only one candle brightening the office overall. Maybe that was why Giotto looked a little more depressed than he should've been. G really couldn't tell.

"Exactly." Giotto grumbled. "Even though I barely know anything about him, it's hard to just… leave him alone. It goes the same for the other kids. I can't just allow them to go back to how they were." G stared at his friend for a while, and then shrugged. "I don't know about that." He paused, before continuing. "I mean, yes, there did seem to be a few that were considering to remain in this era. I don't exactly have a problem with that, though we would need to go through the pain of sending them to school and all. But Giotto, you also need to know that some of them are wanting to go back to their original world, and their own life." G's expression softened as he whispered quietly. "You need know that some of them given up on being a normal child, Giotto."

The blonde grunted, as if he didn't understand. Actually, he just couldn't understand at all. "Why would they want to return to such a life? All they had been doing their whole life was being controlled and toyed with, right? Then why would they want to be done so all over again? They need know that once they fall into that black, they will never be able to escape it ever." Giotto muttered, as G nodded. Suddenly, the door creaked open. It was Daemon and Alaude.

"I thought you guys went to sleep." Giotto frowned, as Daemon just sat down on his usual armchair. Alaude took a seat next to G, drinking a cup of tea. "We heard some random voices. Actually, I was intending to come here by myself, but I just encountered the skylark on the way walking all the way here, so we just came together. I didn't want to, of course, but we were heading the same direction, so what could I do? Just walk with him forcibly, trying to pull down the need to crush him into pieces and win victory." Daemon rolled his eyes, as Alaude threw a meaningful glare.

"Enough about that." G mumbled. "Are there any other major reasons you decided to come here?" Daemon glanced at Alaude, as the platinum blonde just shrugged. "Well," Daemon started. "I… kind of…" the man hesitated. "Found out… about Mukuro's past. Partially, but it was an important piece of information." Giotto stopped righting with his ink pen abruptly, resulting the black ink to spread all over his paper, staining the words on the sheet. He looked up at Daemon, who was looking quite uncomfortable.

"I thought you could only control dreams, not see through them?" He asked, as Daemon nodded. "That is the case. Usually, I can sense when one is suffering a nightmare of sorts and whatnot. And also, I can control them to make it worse or to the better side. But Mukuro's dreams… are different." G frowned. "Different?" Daemon nodded, looking pretty confused himself.

"Remember the other day, when… I told you, Mukuro was having a nightmare? That day, when I went up to his doorstep, I could sense powerful mist flames. What was odd about them was that they seemed to be very out of control, as if the controller had no idea what he was doing. Today, when I went to check on him, the mist flames were there again. I opened the door and went through, and well…" Daemon paused, glancing nervously at the others. "His dreams… were well… I could see them in front of me."

"What do you mean?" Giotto questioned, not quite understanding what the mist guardian meant. "So, like, his dreams were being shown in front of me as a form of an illusion. I think Mukuro has been unconsciously creating illusions while sleeping, because of his powerful mist flames, that for some reason are always out of control when he is not awake. Those illusions that he created are presented him to as a "nightmare", but really, he is creating an illusion at the same time. Two, really. One in his head, and one on the outside, so that a normal mist guardian would be easily able to see through it. To you, it would just look like a thin layer of mist flames surrounding him, but to a mist guardian, it is seen differently. You can actually see parts of his dream, and what I shown was rather… cruel."

"How… can that happen?" Giotto scowled. "For one to not be able to control their flames and create random illusions-" Alaude opened his mouth to speak, deciding that he would do the explanations. "When mist guardians create illusions, they obviously first picture what they want to create, and then solidify the image they want. That is why a mist guardian can make anything out of illusions, even imaginary creatures – though they are all fake, of course." The carnivore paused, and continued. "But in Mukuro's case, since he doesn't know he possesses the flames himself, he of course doesn't know how to control them. When he is awake, he is pretty ok, which makes him unconsciously pull down the flames without knowing he is doing so. However, when he is asleep, he is unable to that, and the flames create their own illusions, since the controller himself doesn't know what he wants to create. These illusions are shown to Mukuro in a form of a nightmare, and shows him what he usually thinks about – as illusions are directly made off the brain." Alaude concluded, as Giotto frowned.

"But what is exactly what you saw, Daemon?" Giotto asked, as Daemon looked down at his hands and fiddled with his shirt for a while. "Well…" the older male hesitated. "I saw several torture scenes. I couldn't read the signs or posts, as I think they were in English, (Because the illusionist only speaks Japanese and Italian) but one was written in Japanese, and it said…" Daemon twitched. "Slave Trading Center. We sell the finest, cheapest slaves you can find, with ages from five to eighteen. Really, the scene grossed me out. There was children everywhere, and blood, and… stuff." The male seemed like he didn't want to continue any further. "Oh, and I think there was a girl. Though the scene showing her was very brief, as Mukuro seemed to be waking up then."

Giotto nodded, deep in thought.

"I see."

_**WITH BYAKURAN…**_

"So, what does Kyoya-chan say today?" Byakuran asked, as Rasiel cleared his throat. "Usual stuff, sir. He is saying nothing in particular happened." Byakuran rolled his eyes. "That stubborn child. It's a shame I can't break him yet, even though he is the closest in touch. I still need him to get back all the kids to future as well. I can just imagine the little kids' expressions when they realize that they would have to be tortured all over again. It would be a delight to hear them scream, I think." Byakuran chuckled, as Rasiel dropped beads of cold sweat, once again getting to know how brutal the male could get.

"We are almost there."

"Almost there."

_**End of chapter.**_

**Lots of pasts were revealed today. Firstly, Chrome's. I hope that answered a lot of your questions about the relationship of Chrome and Mukuro from the last chapter. The reason Chrome can't remember Mukuro is because she lost her memories about him in the explosion of the truck, her organs and eyes technically disappearing in the process. **

**Also, about Kyoya… well… yes, he is acting as a spy, kind of. He works under Byakuran, and is basically an information collector that knows all about the kids that share the blood of the Vongola Famiglia, just like him. He was originally sent to past because he needed to test out the upgraded bazooka Spanner wanted to try out, but ended up staying there after he told Byakuran that the other kids that shared the Vongola's blood was with him. The bazooka that he uses right now has a limited number of times that can transport a person, and also it can't transport a large amount of people at once. That is why Byakuran ordered Spanner and Irie to create a better bazooka, really. **

**For Mukuro's part, those who didn't understand – it's just saying that the nightmares that Mukuro had been dreaming of were actually illusions that his mist flames were making, because he couldn't take control of them while he was asleep. This involves what the Lab did to him, but this will be explained later on.**

**If you have any further questions, please PM me directly, or put them in the reviews. I would try to answer them to the best of my abilities, though I wouldn't be able to give you any hints to specific parts of their pasts. That, you'll need to wait for the chapters and updates.**

**Replies:**

**Knightcross – good job on figuring out what Hibari meant. Also, I hope this chapter explained why Chrome couldn't remember Mukuro, despite their love and bonds between one another. I am glad you are fond of the character development as well.**

**Zhizn214 – Tsuna and Byakuran will indeed share some form of rivalry in the far future, but not at the moment. I am glad you are enjoying the chapters.**

**Makubex000 – the reason Mukuro can't remember his sister is because he brainwashed, and even after he was tested on countless experiments that injured his brain. This would be presented to you later, though. And for the Varia, I am still debating their existence in the future. I don't know yet.**

**Natsu Yuuki – you are a good cheerleader, I think. Thanks for the encouragement.**

**AngeliqueSora – Tsuna's past is more than bullying, really, since he was never sent to school. His past goes deeper, but I don't plan on writing about him for now. I hope this chapter answered some of your questions.**

**Yuna x Haku – It's sad, yes. Here's your update.**

**Reader101 – I am not sure whether to put in the Varia yet, really. I am thinking about it.**

**Jak – thanks for the compliments. It helps me a lot.**

**Fatesmask – I am glad you are enjoying this story. I hope you continue to do so.**

**This chapter wasn't boring, was it? I hope it wasn't…**

**~Meiko~**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_**16XX, MAY 29**__**TH**__**, DAY 20…**_

_Gokudera Hayato opened his eyes and quickly sat up, feeling the warm breeze of a dreamy gush of wind sweep across his face. He glanced around his surroundings, and noticed he was in the middle of a familiar garden – it was the garden of the Scuro Famiglia – the Famiglia he was born into. The Garden of the Dark Eden. He sighed in relief, and then frowned, noticing the flaw in this scenery. He wasn't supposed to be here. He had left the Scuro Famiglia pretty much ages ago. No, more like he was forced to leave. He never gave up the position of the heir of the Scuro Famiglia – becoming the Scuro Decimo. The silver haired boy stood up, slightly nervous. _

'_This is a dream.' He thought, maintaining a calm composure and expression overall. 'It's a dream, it will soon end, like dreams always do. It will end soon. It will…' He stopped mumbling in his mind mid-way, as he saw his younger self – when he was still a mere kid who was barely 6. He flinched. He knew this situation. He was walking alone as usual, in the Garden, forgetting the fact that his father was expecting visitors in the afternoon. And at that time he had met-_

"_Hello." Gokudera took a few steps backward as he heard the warm, kind voice, and spotted the usual composed and relaxed face of the new teenager he was seeing in front of him. "What are you doing here?" The teenager asked him, as the younger Gokudera just stared up at the unexpected visitor and scowled. The male chuckled, scratching his unnaturally white hair. "I see, I see, so you're the one that's the son of the Scuro Nono. My father is the Vongola Nono." Gokudera gulped, as he stared at the scene that was folding up in front of his very eyes. He could feel both fear and cold rage build up from the bottom of his heart, as he tried to move his legs but failed. His breathing was becoming more uneven as time went by, and he continued to spectate the scene, his younger self meeting the male he would most fear in the far future. The white haired teen finally opened his mouth and held out his hand at the younger Gokudera._

"_My name is Byakuran. What is yours?"_

Gokudera gasped as he woke up, his body covered in cold sweat. He grunted as he fell down on the tree branch he was sleeping down, and rubbed the back of his neck in momentary pain. He then leaned on the tree trunk and spread his legs on the green grass. It was still about 3 in the afternoon. Who knew that taking a nap for two hours could bring back such a vague, but also in some ways vivid memory? The boy stared up at the sky as the wind whistled in his ears, and the grass tickled his wrist as he continued to think.

_I was around 6… so he must've been around… what, 13? Since he's 17 right now… _Gokudera sighed heavily, as he stared back down at his hands. _If it wasn't for him… no, that's incorrect. I would've still been kicked out of the family, whether it was for him or not. After all, I failed. I failed to follow to orders of my father and accomplish my mission. My mission to kill the next heir of the Vongola Famiglia… Not Byakuran, but… _a certain brunette's smiling face shone upon his eyes. _He was too young then. He could barely walk around, and I… _the silver haired boy remained silent on his place, and grunted as he stood up. His head still kind of ached from the fall, but he decided that it wasn't a very big deal.

"Hayato?" Gokudera flinched as he heard the lacy and smooth voice call him by his first name ever so casually. It was Elena. Gokudera glared at the female. "Don't call me that." He muttered under his breath, as the female gave him a glum but disappointed look. Then she forced a small smile and approached the boy and sat down where Gokudera just stood up from, leaning on the tree trunk just like he did. Gokudera frowned. "What are you doing?" He asked, annoyed by the woman's actions but not leaving her alone anyways. In many varying factors, Elena resembled his mother. And Gokudera didn't like that.

"I just wondered what it felt like to sit here, under this tree, alone. Alone with the breeze and nature, that is." Elena looked bright as always, as she continued. Gokudera unconsciously sat down next to her again. "Just like you were." As she opened her eyes, Gokudera's scowl soon softened, as he relaxed his hunched shoulders. "You're an odd woman." Gokudera grumbled under his breath, as Elena tilted her head to the side. But the boy didn't respond, and Elena just smiled weakly and shook her head. "A woman can't just be plain, Hayato. They always need something off about them. That's what makes them attractive, mysterious, and charming." Gokudera shrugged. "I wonder." Both of them didn't talk or move for a while, staring up at the blue sky – well, once blue sky – gray clouds were starting to gather and merge, blocking the rather beautiful view.

"Do you know a song, Hayato?" Elena questioned, and Gokudera glanced at her, and then just turned away. The female chuckled. "It's a song passed down from my family line. The lyrics are kind of hard to understand for kids like you that are from the future I suppose, but it's a wonderful song nevertheless." Elena opened her mouth, as a gentle breeze blew over the two, as Gokudera's eyes widened, staring at the woman.

"There are 8 lonely clams, 8 lonely clams. The lonely 8 that did no wrong, but were tainted black and shattered by the strong. The powerful seas, the fearsome waves, O', how fearsome they were. The lonely 8 clams, the lonely 8 clams. They break, they shatter, they cry, and fight together – but O', the fearsome waves – too strong, too vicious, too merciless… the storms arise, and the skies open again, and the fierce wind stops, O', the time of judgment and justice is here. A rainbow – a beautiful rainbow appears in front, and the lonely 8 clams are no longer black… O', the lonely 8 clams, the lonely 8 clams… now fearless and friendly."

_Mother… _Gokudera continued to stare, as Elena glanced at Gokudera, and then frowned. The boy stood up after a while of silence. "I'm going to the library." He said quietly, as Elena smiled and nodded. She took a look at the sky above, and noticed that almost the last bit of blue had vanished from sight.

"I should get going too… looks like there would be a heavy rain." She sighed as she walked into the mansion. The female opened the double doors and stepped into the dimly lighted corridor, glancing around her surroundings. The mansion was eerily silent at this time of the day. Some kids would be taking a nap or chatting to one another, lowering their voices – in which Elena thought of weirdly at first. But soon, she noticed it was just a result of their life on the streets, the cruel orphanage, etc. Of course – if you lived a poor life, surrounded by underprivileged people and materials, taking a quick nap (but making sure they wouldn't fall in sleep too deeply) when they had the time, and talking in low and whispery voices was soon to become a habit.

Since the first day she had encountered the 8 kids, Elena didn't pity them for their situations, but felt angry. She could feel rage towards the people who had hurt the kids so physically yet emotionally, digging through them until they couldn't hold it any longer, and pushing them to their limits – at least, the limit their mental state would carry them. _This is why humans are so naïve, so useless, so evil and needy… when they think their own life isn't going so well for them, they torture the ones that are weaker and more lowly than they are, just to take out their stress on them and make them feel the relief that they are still on top of someone else, whether that's a kid or whatnot. Useless, useless… _She shook her head subconsciously and then stopped as she saw a book thrown off carelessly next to an open window. Outside it was raining heavily, and the rain drops were wetting the book as the carpet was on the verge of becoming fully saturated. She quickly closed the glass windows and covered them as she let the curtains hung loose again. Then she quickly picked up the book and took it to a nearby room, setting it on the bed. She noticed the style the book was made – well, rather a notebook – wasn't styled and designed of materials of the 1600s. The binds were made out of strange metal, and the cover of the notebook was dark blue leather.

_Is it from one of the kids? Must be… this kind of colored leather is quite rare. And this smooth paper and texture… it's nice from our time, definitely. _She flipped through the pages. The first few pages were blurry, the words unreadable because of the rain. As she flipped further past the front, the words were more firm and in place and dry. Finally, she reached a page where everything was perfectly legible, the paper warm and smooth – not soggy and weak. It was written in neat, systematic Japanese – in fact, in kind of reminded Elena of Alaude's flawlessly spaced and worded reports that were hand written with black ink. She noticed the date on the start of page. It was May 28th, just yesterday. Elena frowned. _A journal? It's rude to look through personal belongings, but for Giotto's sake…_ she scanned the page. The sentences were short and curt, and Elena soon recognized that it was Hibari's. A few days of observation, and the female could easily tell how the boy liked to talk. And usually, when a person has a certain way of talking, they write exactly how they talk. It was quite easy to tell, really.

_Byakuran gave new orders about the descendants of the Vongola. Get the lightning herbivore, he said. _Elena's eyes widened, as she gripped the cold book tighter as she read the name Byakuran. It was mentioned a few days ago, again – it was about how G noticed that Gokudera was mumbling that name more often when he was left alone. Elena gulped and continued reading.

_He said to send the lightning herbivore over tomorrow. He said that the Primo and the others will easily think that the herbivore would've wandered off on his own and got lost. The ten-year bazooka that that boy's family kept would help improve the creation of the new bazooka Spanner and Irie is currently attempting to invent. Odd, because the boy himself doesn't have the ten-year bazooka – the other descendant of the Bovino does. Who that other descendant is – that is yet unknown. Byakuran is probably going to try to lure the herbivores of the Vongola Primo and his Famiglia into the future, and learn the secret about the ten-year bazooka, and in the way, ending the line of the Vongola completely._

_Nevertheless, I received a mission, and I am expected to complete it successfully. Tomorrow, with the lightning herbivore, I will be gone from the Vongola mansion. Hopefully, someone finds this entry. If not, I would walk on my path like this. _

_Vongola is fated to end._

Elena just sat there for a while, as lightning bolts flashed and the windows rattled because of the wind. It was a heavy rain, considering the fact that it wasn't even supposed to be the rainy season yet. Elena quickly put down the notebook, trying to remember what happened in the morning. All the kids were present. All except Hibari, who was always missing during breakfast. That was normal. Lambo was there too, as always. Until then, Lambo was still there.

_In the noon. In the noon, where all the kids split up and went to their own rooms. Hibari wasn't back then, and Lambo went to his own room. Giotto and the others went down to the city for a while to get done with some business matters… _Elena stood up abruptly as stared at the sight outside. Then she quickly opened the door and ran down to Giotto's office, where probably all the guardians were by now, carrying the notebook in her hand. As she ran, she completely forgot the fact that she was even wearing one of her best dresses – she just ran down the stairs, stepping on the lacy cloth by accident a few times, and almost tripping on her high shoes. She slammed opened the door, panting, finding Giotto and his guardians sitting around the circular tea table that was placed at the side of the large room.

"Elena? What is-" Daemon said, startled at his girlfriend's desperate expression. The female grabbed the hem of Knuckle's clean shirt (basically because he was the nearest person in reach) and cried hurriedly, gasping for breath and trying to make out words at the very same time. "Lambo-" She coughed. "He- he- he's-" Knuckle, who didn't know who was going on, just clutched the female's shoulders and let out small, calming sun flames and soothed the rushing woman back to normal – at least, evening her breathing again. "He's- he's gone." It wasn't exactly the most suitable word for the current situation, but it was the only vocabulary she could use at that moment. Lampo flinched a little, and grabbed the edge of the couch he was sitting on.

"What do you mean?" Asari questioned, his expression tainted with worry and sincerity. Elena sighed, as she leaned on Daemon a little, who was now standing next to her, ready to catch her if she fainted. "He's… Kyoya-kun… he…" Elena didn't know where to start. But mentioning Kyoya's name was a good idea, because it caught a certain skylark's attention. Elena, not being able to form any words, fumbled for the notebook and gave it to Giotto, who flipped past the wet pages, and reached the dry page where the last entry was. He skimmed through the page, and then paused as he read the final paragraph. Then the blonde stared at Elena for a while, and then at Alaude. He sat back down on his own couch, his expression shocked and dumbfounded. _I always knew something was off about Hibari… but this… this was unexpected. A spy… a spy sent from the future among the kids… _Giotto frowned for a while. The guardians went silent as they read the short journal entry that was written in perfectly neat handwriting, as if Hibari felt totally normal when he wrote this – normal, almost as if this happened every day. _Why… _Giotto sighed.

Alaude on the other hand, had several feelings attacking him at once. First was shock. Very small, but it was still a feeling of pure shock. He had never expected _his _descendant, out of all the descendants, to become a spy of the enemy Famiglia they were just about to face. Second was rage. However, it wasn't rage towards his young descendant that had betrayed the Famiglia, but the so called Byakuran that had tormented the boy had pushed him to such a state. The boy never became a herbivore because he wanted to – he was forced to. Lastly, there was little – but there, remained emptiness. Alaude never felt like this before, such a sensation. Maybe it was because he was never close to anyone, not even his family. His parents rarely talked to him, and his siblings lived their own lives, caring their own business. He never really considered anyone as a close comrade, friend, or anything in the boundaries of a family. However, Hibari was slightly different. The way the boy acted reminded Alaude so much of how he used to be, if you took out the part where he talked about the Lab time to time. And now, the boy was gone. Gone, claiming that he was the betrayer among the trashed, the used among the useless. It didn't make the platinum blonde feel very comfortable, now that he was aware of the fact.

"Well," Lampo broke the silence. "What do we do now?" It was a rather blunt and broad question that nobody could answer to right away. "I don't want to sit around and do nothing right now." Lampo mumbled quietly. "I actually want to help for once." Giotto looked up at the lightning guardian with a surprised expression. "It's true I still find it hard to take that kid in as a family member, and to love him like a son and whatever you people wanted me to do. I can't do that yet. But I have feelings, and I do indeed care for my family. Believe it or not, that is." Lampo said, and Giotto's expression softened.

"I don't doubt that certain fact, Lampo. I really don't. We need to save Lambo. And on the way, if possible, we need to talk to Hibari. But before all that, we need an explanation." Giotto started slowly, but was unsure of how to continue. G, noticing his friend's uncertainty, cleared his throat and went on smoothly. "If we gather the points we know about this Byakuran and his Famiglia, there aren't many. The first obvious point is that Hayato knows about Byakuran. The second one is that he is probably connected to all the pasts of the kids, and might be the one who made all those happen. And as stated in the journal entry, it is confirmed that Kyoya was a spy helping out Byakuran, and his mission was to kidnap Lambo, who is now, as written there, a descendant of the Bovino Famiglia that created this machine called the ten-year bazooka, that helps people from the future somehow come to our era. So far, that's all we have." G listed down the factors, as the guardians, including Elena, listened attentively.

"So, are we in trouble?" A friendly chuckle was heard from the door, and there stood Talbot with his tall wooden stick. "I was expecting this to happen, but well." G scowled, slightly startled by the man's sudden arrival. "What do you mean, you were expecting this?" Talbot remained silent, as he sat on Giotto's armchair that was next to his desk. "It was obvious that one of the kids weren't at ease when they first arrived, wasn't it?" Asari frowned. "All the kids weren't at ease. They were all nervous, and fearing of something." Talbot chuckled. "That is true. All the kids were fearing something. But wasn't there one kid that was different than the others? One kid that didn't try to socialize and associate with the other ones – a little too much, that it was unnatural?" Giotto and his guardians glanced at one another.

"I told you, Giotto, that those fellas went through a lot. That little lad was just one of the many. Poor boy, poor boy he is. Well, there those lads that don't even know that eachother are truly blood-related, but that may come later." Talbot cleared his throat. "The time machine I prepared for you is ready. It's slightly incomplete, but still useable." G stood up rather abruptly. "You should've told us that earlier-" Talbot stopped him, however. "Relax, G. You have lots to get over before you will be able to travel to the future. And furthermore, it takes at least 2 days to get the time machine fully ready for launch. Until then, I expect you to get information out of the Gokudera lad. He knows almost every single thing about the Tsuna boy, and also the Lambo boy." The old man paused, and then continued quietly. "And he has been acting as a brother to the Lambo lad. It's right to inform of him of the boy's absence, yes?"

G hesitated, and then shut his mouth. Talbot nodded, and then exited the room, to get the time machine ready for it's first travel. The guardians went to library, following what Elena had told them, passing the rooms of the kids, where they were still silently taking a nap. Gokudera was reading a classic book about Greek mythology, until the guardians barged in. The first thing the boy did was scowl, and then put down the book on the soft, carpeted floor. "What are you people doing here, all together?" He asked, as Knuckle closed the door behind him. Gokudera, sensing something was out of place, immediately stuck to the wall, his hands travelling down his pocket and searching for something he could use to defend himself, just in case.

"Hayato." G said softly. "We're just here to ask something, that's all. After that, we'll leave you alone here, as you wish." Gokudera's hunched up shoulders went down a little, but his nervous, queasy feeling still remained in his stomach. "Listen, Hayato, and we want you to respond to our question honestly." Giotto started, and Gokudera narrowed his eyes. "Who is Byakuran?" At that moment, Gokudera froze. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. His eyes immediately went blank, as he stared at Giotto and his guardians, including Elena who was in Daemon's arms. "What do you mean?" Gokudera asked, his voice shaky and low. Giotto shook his head. "You know what we mean, Hayato." The blonde opened his mouth again. "Who is Byakuran?" Gokudera stared. When he found his voice again, he replied.

"How did you get to know that name?" he asked, and Giotto shrugged. "It wasn't very challenging. We saw you mutter in a few times. And now, we need to know who he is. For your safety, and your brother's welfare." Giotto managed to say, as Gokudera blinked. "Lambo?" He whispered. Asari nodded from the side. "Your brother was captured by Byakuran. It seems like… Kyoya-kun was behind this. Now, we need what you know in order to return things back to normal, and how it was. We need your help." The rain guardian said, as Gokudera blinked once again. When he realized what was happening, he slowly fell to the floor, his legs giving in. First it was Byakuran. Then it was Lambo. _No… I promised _him _that I would protect Lambo and yet… Lambo… that Hibari Kyoya… _Gokudera looked up for a while. He knew that this wasn't something he could keep anymore. He needed their help. They needed his knowledge.

"What do you want to know?" He asked. Giotto opened his mouth to speak. "Everything. Everything single fact you know about Byakuran." Gokudera didn't know where to start. The range of the question was wide, and he found it rather difficult, deciding where he needed to start. "The first time I met Byakuran was when I was about 6. He was about 13. Basically, he just became a teenager. In your era, it would be called adulthood, I guess." Gokudera sighed. "I was the son of the Scuro Nono, an allied Famiglia with the Vongola Famiglia at that time. Vongola Nono, Timoteo, and my father had meetings often, but that was the first time Byakuran had ever come over."

"Wait, Byakuran actually had relations to the Vongola Famiglia?" G asked, and Gokudera nodded glumly. "He is the son of Vongola Nono – in other words, he is your direct descendant, Vongola Primo." Giotto's eyes widened. "I think at that time, everything was fine. Byakuran seemed to be pretty normal. He was smart, and I could understand why everyone called him a genius and the perfect heir. However, at that time I didn't know that at that time, our Famiglia and the Vongola's relationship was starting to crack, and go downhill. I knew allied Famiglias didn't last forever, but…" Gokudera paused. "When I became 8, I was ordered to kill the heir of the Vongola Decimo place by my father. Finally, the Scuro and the Vongola had decided to come to its end. I wondered if it was Byakuran, but it wasn't. I was sent out to kill a brunette and his family. The brunette, however, was only just born. I killed his parents as I was ordered to, but I couldn't kill the brunette. I told my father about this, because I didn't want to lie. My father was deeply disappointed in me and kicked me out of the family." Gokudera stopped to glance at Giotto, who was seeming to finally get the hang of things.

"Tsuna said that his parents died when he was just born and sent to the orphanage." Giotto said. Gokudera nodded. "I killed his parents. I didn't kill him though, and as a result, I was kicked out of family. My father, however, was assassinated by the Millefiore Famiglia soon after, an arising Famiglia created by Byakuran. What the reason was, I am still not sure what. I am just aware of the fact that Byakuran now, has almost surpassed his father, and his planning to destroy the Vongola Famiglia t full scale with all his might. I doubt anyone will able to stand against his army of Gola Moscas." Gokudera said, as Giotto stared at the boy in shock. However, he soon regained his composure with difficulty, and continued on.

"Last question. How did you meet Lambo?" Daemon was the one that asked this. He needed to know the answer to this one – it was a question that would make all the puzzle pieces fit. At least, fit for Gokudera's past. Gokudera seemed to be trailing off into past. Then, he finally opened his mouth.

"Do you remember, how I said that I found Lambo when he was born, on the streets?" The guardians nodded. "Well, that's wrong. I found him actually, when I was on the way of escaping from a band of men in the alleys. He was about 5, then. He was asleep, and was being carried by a young teenager. I think he was about… 16. I don't know, he should be about 18 by now. That's not really important though. But I do remember, that he was heavily injured, and he said he was from the Bovino Famiglia, and he needed someone to look after his little brother. He told me that when his brother woke up, he shouldn't remember anything, since he gave him a pill that made him forget his past memories. He also told me that his name was Lambo. Lambo Bovino, to be exact, but he said to not tell him his last name. I agreed, for some reason. I don't know what got me there, but it seemed the right thing to do at the time." Giotto nodded, and then paused, noticing the new comer in the story.

"Did this brother tell him his name?" Gokudera blinked, and then slowly nodded. "I don't know what happened to him now, but he was a blonde. He looks similar but different but Lambo as well. They have different colored hair, but the same green eyes, and the same expression. I'm pretty sure his name was…" Gokudera fumbled through his vague and blurry memories and encounters with people. It was two years ago, so what that man said was rather hard to recall. But when he finally did, he was able to pronounce the name clearly.

"His name was Spanner. Spanner Bovino."

**End of Chapter.**

**Chapter 7 completed. Completed with a cliffhanger, that is. With Gokudera's past fully revealed (quite) and Lambo's past slightly shown, including the capturing, and the disappearance of Hibari and Lambo… the next few chapters will finally pick up speed, now that I am getting to the point. **

**To explain Gokudera's past, basically he was born into a Famiglia called the Scuro Famiglia that was allied to the Vongola in its ninth generation. His father was very strict about his education. He meets Byakuran when he's 6, and finally, when the Scuro betrays the Vongola and goes to become and ally of the Millefiore Famiglia, (That just started when Byakuran was VERY young.) his father tells him to kill the possible heir of the Vongola Famiglia, Tsuna. Gokudera pities the situation of the brunette and keeps him alive, but kills his parents anyways. Due to this, Gokudera's father kicks him out of the family, and Gokudera meets an heavily injured Spanner who was escaping from the Millefiore Famiglia. He hands Lambo over to Gokudera, and then disappears. Spanner's story would be revealed bit by bit as Lambo's past unveils.**

**I'm glad that this story is finally picking up speed. Thanks for being patient, guys.**

**Replies:**

**Codename-Erza – thanks for you support. Here is the next chapter for you.**

**Knightscross – I am glad you liked my explanations. And no, I don't plan on making Elena die. She does play an important role in this story, as you can see, but she won't die. And I don't think Ken and Chikusa would appear in THIS story, unless I make a sequel after I complete writing this one. It would be fun writing about them, though.**

**Zhizn214 – I am trying my best to make the story flow faster. I managed to explain one's past in this chapter, and dropped some more hints. It's probably not satisfactory, but I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Guest – Well, in this chapter it's explained why Hayato knew about Byakuran. Kyoya being a spy also plays a heavy role in this chapter. I am glad you are having fun with this. Thanks for the support.**

**Ghostunderasheet – it is depressing indeed, but the first generation would fix them, though probably not right now. Thanks for the review.**

**Makubex000 – I am glad you think it's an interesting story.**

**StarLikeShadow – it was supposed to be a quite emotional chapter, I suppose. Alaude and Kyoya's relationship would improve as well, so no worries… I guess. Thanks for the review.**

**Until chapter 8.**

**~Meiko~**


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